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THE VAMPIRE BAT. 



exact history of this bony spur is not quite settled, some authors considering it to be a 

 separate bone, while others think that it is merely a projection of the heel-bone, which 

 remains permanently disunited. The feet are small, and each toe is furnished with a 

 very sharp, strong, and curved claw, by means of which the animal is enabled to suspend 

 itself from any object which affords a slight projection. 



It will be seen on a glance at the formation of the bat, that the hands, or wings, if 

 they may be so called, are the leading characteristics of the animal, and that, to those 

 members, the whole of the body and the remaining limbs are subsidiary. 



Having thus made a cursory review of the skeleton, we proceed to the outward form, 

 and take for our first example the creature which has earned for itself a world-wide 

 celebrity by the best means of obtaining mundane fame the shedding of much blood. 



The VAMPIRE BAT is a native of Southern America, and is spread over a large extent 

 of country. It is not a very large animal, the length of its body and tail being only six 

 inches, or perhaps seven in large specimens, and the spread of wing two feet, or rathei 

 more. The color of the Vampire's fur is a mouse tint, with a shade of brown. 



Many tales have been told of the Vampire Bat, and its fearful attacks upon sleeping 

 men, tales which, although founded on fact, were so sadly exaggerated as to cause a 

 reaction in the opposite direction. It was reported to come silently by night, and to 

 search for the exposed toes of a sound sleeper, -its instinct telling it whether the in- 

 tended victim were thoroughly buried in sleep. Poising itself above the feet of its prey, 

 and fanning them with its extended wings, it produced a cool atmosphere, which, in 

 those hot climates, aided in soothing the slumberer into a still deeper repose. The Bat 

 then applied its needle-pointed teeth to the upturned foot, and inserted them into the 

 tip of a toe with such adroit dexterity, that no pain was caused by the tiny wound. The 

 lips were then brought into action, and the blood was sucked until the Bat was satiated. 

 It then disgorged the food which it had just taken, and began afresh, continuing 

 its alternate feeding and disgorging, until the victim perished from sheer loss of 

 blood. 



For a time, this statement gained dominion, but, after a while, was less and less 

 believed, until, at last, naturalists repudiated the whole story as a " traveller's tale." 

 However, as usual, the truth seems to have lain between the two extremes ; for it is 

 satisfactorily ascertained, by more recent travellers, that the Vampires really do bite both 

 men and cattle during the night, but that the wound is never known to be fatal, and, in 

 most instances, causes but little inconvenience to the sufferer. 



When they direct their attacks against mankind, the Vampires almost invariably 

 select the foot as their point of operation, and their blood-loving propensities are the 

 dread of both natives and Europeans. With singular audacity, the bats even creep into 

 human habitations, and seek out the exposed feet of any sleeping inhabitant who has 

 incautiously neglected to draw a coverlet over his limbs. 



When they attack quadrupeds, they generally fix themselves on the shoulders and 

 flanks of the animal, and inflict wounds sufficiently severe to cause damage unless 

 properly attended to. It is quite a common occurrence that when the cattle are brought 

 from the pastures wherein they have passed the night, their shoulders and flanks are 

 covered with blood from the bites of these blood-loving bats. It might be said that the 

 bleeding wounds might be accounted for by some other cause, but the matter was set 

 at rest by a fortunate capture of a Vampire " red-handed " in the very act of wounding 

 a horse. 



Darwin, who narrates the circumstance, states that he was travelling in the neigh- 

 borhood of Coquimbo, in Chili, and had halted for the night. One of the horses became 

 very restless, and the servant, who went to see what was the matter with the animal, 

 fancied that he could see something strange on its withers. He put his hand quickly 

 on the spot and secured a Vampire Bat. Next morning there was some inflammation 

 and soreness on the spot where the bat had been captured, but the ill effects soon 

 disappeared, and three days afterwards the horse was as well as ever. 



It does not seem to be the severity of the wound which does the harm, but the 

 irritation which is caused by pressure, whether of a saddle, in the case of a horse, or 

 of clothing, in the case of a human being. 



