SOUTH AMERICA. 179 



the first to begin the attack. His motto may be. THIRD 



* JOURNEY. 



" Noli me tangere." As his habits and his haunts 



differ materially from those of every other animal 

 in the forest, their interests never clash, and thus 

 he might live to a good old age, and die at last 

 in peace, were it not that his flesh is good food. 

 On this account, the Indian wages perpetual war 

 against him, and as he cannot escape by flight, 

 he falls an easy prey to the poisoned arrow, shot 

 from the Indian's bow at a distance. If ever he 

 be closely attacked by dogs, he immediately 

 throws himself on his back, and if he be for- 

 tunate enough to catch hold of his enemy with 

 his tremendous claws, the invader is sure to pay 

 for his rashness with the loss of life. 



We will now take a view of the Vampire. As T 



pire 



there was a free entrance and exit to the vampire, 

 in the loft where I slept, I had many a fine op- 

 portunity of paying attention to this nocturnal 

 surgeon. He does not always live on blood. 

 When the moon shone bright, and the fruit of 

 the banana-tree was ripe, I could see him ap- 

 proach and eat it. He would also bring into the 

 loft, from the forest, a green round fruit, some- 

 thing 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 Waratilla 

 creek, in a moonlight night, I saw several vam- 

 pires fluttering round the top of the sawarri 



N 2 



