148 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



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 fortunate 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 there 

 was a free entrance and exit to the vampire, 

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

 opportunity of paying attention to this nocturnal sur- 

 geon. 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 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 Waratilla creek, in a moon- 

 light night, I 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 naturally, for 

 on examining several of them, they appeared quite 

 fresh and blooming. So I concluded the vampires 

 pulled them from the tree, either to get at the incipient 

 fruit, or to catch the insects which often take up their 

 abode in flowers. 



The vampire, in general, measures about twenty-six 

 inches from wing to wing extended, though I once 

 killed one which measured thirty-tv^o inches. He fre- 

 quents old abandoned houses and hollow trees; and 



