371 HISTORV OF 



iind that had they not providentially awaked, their sleep would 

 have been their passage into eternity ; having lost so large a 

 quantity of blood as hardiy to find strength to bind up the orifice. 

 The reason why the puncture is not felt, is, besides the great 

 precaution with which it is made, the gentle refreshing agitation 

 of the bat's wings, which contribute to increase sleep, and soften 

 the pain." 



The purport of this account has been confirmed by various 

 other travellers ; who all agree that this bat is possessed of a 

 faculty of drawing the blood from persons sleeping ; and thus 

 often destroying them before they awake. But still a very 

 strong difficulty remains to be accounted for ; the maimer in 

 which they inflict the wound. Ulloa, as has been seen, supposes 

 that it is done by a single tooth ; but this we know to be impos- 

 sible, since the animal cannot infix one tooth without all the rest 

 accompanying its motions ; the teeth of the bat kind being pretty 

 even, and the mouth but small. Mr Buffon, therefore, supposes 

 the wound to be inflicted by the tongue ; which, however, ap- 

 pears to me too large to inflict an unpainful wound ; and even 

 less qualified for that purpose than the teeth. Nor can the 

 tongue, as Mr Buflfon seems to suppose, serve for the purposes 

 of suction, since for this it must be hollow, like a syringe, which 

 it is not found to be.* I should therefore suppose, that the 

 animal is endowed with a strong power of suction ; and that, 

 without inflicting any wound whatsoever, by continuing to draw, 

 it enlarges the pores of the skin in such a manner, that the blood 

 at length passes, and that more freely the longer the operation is 

 continued ; so that, at last, when the bat goes off, the blood 

 continues to flow. In confirmation of this opinion we are told, 

 that where beasts have a thick skin, this animal cannot injure 

 them ; whereas, in horses, mules, and asses, they are very liable 

 to be thus destroyed. As to the rest, these animals are consid- 

 ered as one of the great pests of South America ; and often pre- 

 vent the peopling of many parts of that continent : having de- 

 stroyed at Barja, and several other places, such cattle as we re 

 brought there by the missionaries, in order to form a settlem enf,. 



« A portion of the tongue lias now been discovered to be exactly consti- 

 tuted as an organ of suction, M'hicli confirms the conjecture of Buffon. 



