78 ANIMALS OF NO IMPORTANCE. 



This is not strictly true, for there occurs in India a bat, 

 called Megaderma lyra, or the Indian vampire, which un- 

 doubtedly preys upon small mammals. Blyth saw this 

 creature devouring another bat. It commenced by seizing 

 its victim behind the ear, and then calmly proceeded to suck 

 its blood during flight. It, however, is not content with 

 mere blood-sucking ; it devours its victims. In the even- 

 ings it may sometimes be heard crunching the bones of 

 frogs, which appear to form its favourite diet. It will not 

 attack toads, the nasty secretion from their skin rendering 

 them immune. This creature is probably an insectivorous 

 bat which has recently taken to bigger game. 



South America is the true home of the vampires. These 

 attack men, horses, and cattle. The tip of the toe is the 

 portion of the human frame which they usually attack. 

 Whether this is because it is the most accessible part of a 

 man when in a recumbent posture, or whether there is, in 

 the eyes of the bat, any special virtue in blood drawn from 

 this region, we have no means of ascertaining. Nor is it 

 known for certain by what means the animal bores the hole. 

 Some declare that it is the tip of the tongue that does the 

 trick, others put their money on the canine teeth. These 

 persons impose on our credulity by asserting that when the 

 tip of the tooth is dug into the victim, the hole is amplified 

 by the bat's turning on the tooth as on a pivot. Be this as 

 it may, the wound inflicted is a small round one, which 

 bleeds profusely, so that some skill is required in order to 

 staunch the blood-flow. Vampire bats are therefore but 

 clumsy exponents of the art of blood sucking, and might 

 with advantage take lessons from the gentle mosquito, or 

 even from the less gentle village bania. The after effects 

 of the bite of the vampire are most disagreeable, so that we 

 may well be thankful that the Indian vampire confines its 

 attention to such small fry as the frogs. 



Insect-eating bats are the only kind found in England, 

 and comprise the great majority of Indian species. Well- 

 known examples of such are the horse-shoe bats and the 



