THE PIIYLLOSTOMID^ 509 



SO generous as to have blooded him without makino- a 

 charge. He looked up in my face, but did not say a word; 

 I saw he was of opinion that I had better have spared this 

 piece of ill-timed levity." 



Captain Stedman, while in Surinam, was attacked in a similar 

 way. "On waking about four o'clock one morning in my 

 hammock, I was extremely alarmed at finding myself weltering 

 in congealed blood, yet without feeling any pain whatever. 

 Having started up, I ran for the surgeon, with a firebrand 

 in one hand, and all over besmeared with gore, to which, if 

 added my pale face, short hair, and tattered apparel, he might 

 well ask the question : 



' Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damn'd, 

 Bring M-ith thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell ? ' 



The mystery, however, was soon solved, for I then found I had 

 been bitten by the vampire or spectre of Guiana." 



Other instances of the same kind are mentioned by Tschudi, 

 Schomburgk, Azara (who was phlebotomised no less than four 

 times by the vampire), and other naturalists of equal repute, 

 so that there is no reason to doubt the fact, although Prince 

 Maximilian of Neu Wied was unable to ascertain its truth 

 during the course of his travels. 



The general food of the phyllostomidae consists, however, in 

 vespertine and nocturnal moths, and Waterton is of opinion that 

 they also partake of vegetable food. As there was a free entrance 

 and exit to the vampire in the loft where he slept at Mibiri 

 Creek in Demerara, he had many a fine opportunity of paying 

 attention to the nocturnal surgeon. When the moon shone 

 bright, and the fruit of the banana tree was ripe, he could see 

 him approach and eat it. He would also bring into the loft 

 from the forest a green round fruit, something like the wild 

 guava, and about the size of a nutmeg. There was something 

 also in the blossom of the Sawarri nut tree which was grateful 

 to him, for on coming up Waratella Creek in a moonlight night, 

 he saw several vampires fluttering round the top of the Sawarri 

 tree, and every now and then the blossoms which they had 

 broken off, fell into the water. They certainly did not drop off 



