84 



THE WING-HANDED ANIMALS. 



Rengger adds to these words of Azara the follow- 

 ing : " A hundred times have I examined the wounds 

 of Horses, Mules and Oxen without being able to 

 determine how they were caused. The incision is 

 funnel-shaped, and has a diameter of a quarter of 

 an inch, sometimes a little more ; the depth is, ac- 

 cording to the part of the body, from one to two 

 lines. It never reaches through the skin to the mus- 

 cles. There is no impression of the teeth, as is the 

 case in wounds caused by a bite from any other ani- 

 mal ; but the margins present a soft swelling. I 

 cannot therefore think that the Leaf-nosed Bats 

 cause these wounds by a bite, which, by the way, 

 would awaken any animal. I think it probable that 

 they first deprive the skin of its sensibility by suck- 

 ing as is done in the application of a cupping glass, 

 and when it is swollen, they make a small aperture 

 with their teeth. That it is impossible for a Bat to 

 suck and to move its wings at the same time is dem- 

 onstrated by the structure of the latter. I, at least, 

 always saw them seated upon the Horses, and this 



The following night several of them found their way 

 iiito my hammock ; I seized a few that were crawl- 

 ing around on me and threw them against the wall. 

 At daybreak I found a wound in my hip, undoubt- 

 edly caused by the Bats. That was a little too 

 much for me, and I concluded to exterminate them. 

 I myself shot many of them that were hanging on 

 the planks of the roof and then had the negroes 

 mount ladders into the garret and kill a few hundred 

 old ones, together with the little Bats." 



Hensel and Kappler have had similar experiences, 

 and it is safe to conclude that many Leaf-nosed 

 Bats are blood-suckers, that human beings are 

 rarely bitten by them, and that the mischief they 

 do varies with time and locality. 



The The largest of the South American 



Vampire Vampires proper is the Vampire Bat 



Bat. {Phyllostoma spectruni). Its length is 



seven inches, its expanse of wing, according to 



Bates, is twenty-eight inches. The head is long and 



thick, the muzzle elongated ; the large ears stand out 



GREATER HOBSESHOE BAT. What a hideous face is that of this uncanny creature, as the artist presents it, sallying forth towards 



sunset on the lookout for food. If naturalists tell the truth this Old World Bat is a blood-sucker, and sleeping Chamois, Squirrels and other 

 animals should be on their guard. During the summer months it pursues insects up the mountains to a height greater than a mile. {Rhinolo- 

 phus ferrum-equinum) 



necessitated the folding of their wings. The wound 

 in itself is not dangerous, but as four, five, six or 

 more Bats suck the same animal in one night, and 

 often repeat the performance for several consecutive 

 nights, the animals are much weakened by the loss 

 of blood, especially as two or three ounces flow out 

 after each visit." 



Other travelers besides Azara have been bitten by 

 the Bats , among whom was Bates, who lived eleven 

 years in Brazil. "The first night," he writes, "I slept 

 soundly and perceived nothing extraordinary. The 

 second night I was awakened at midnight by the 

 noise of Bats flying back and forth in my room. 

 They had extinguished my lamp, and when I relit 

 it, I saw that the room was full of them. The air 

 seemed black with the swarm flying around in it. I 

 had recourse to a stick, and in a few minutes they 

 disappeared. When everything was quiet, they re- 

 appeared and again extinguished my light. I paid 

 no further attention to them, and went to sleep. 



from the sides and top of the head ; the leaf on 

 the nose is small in proportion to the size of the 

 animal ; the soft, delicate fur is of a chestnut hue on 

 the back and yellowish brown beneath, and the 

 wings are brown. 



The Vampire Bat inhabits northern Brazil and 

 Guiana, being found in the forests as well as in build- 

 ings. Bates says : " Nothing in animal physiognomy 

 can be more hideous than the countenance of this 

 creature when viewed from the front. The large, 

 leathery ears, the erect spear-shaped appendage on 

 the tip of the nose, the grinning features and the 

 glistening black eye, all combine to make up a fig- 

 ure that reminds one of some mocking imp of fable. 

 No wonder that imaginative people have ascribed 

 diabolical qualities to so ugly an animal. The Vam- 

 pire, however, is the most harmless of all Bats, and 

 its inoffensive character is well known to residents 

 on the banks of the Amazon." According to older 

 as well as modern observers, this much abused crea- 



