3°4 



BATS. 



anil turned i-ound so that its back was against the box's side ; but as it <lid 

 not change the position of the feet, of course the legs crossed, the right foot now- 

 being on the left side, and vice versa. In this odd position it appeared perfectly at 

 ease, and went on licking at a fresh berry with great relish. As the pulp and 

 juice became exhausted I expected the bat would di-op it, and was prepared with 

 another berry : but, to my surprise, he brought up the wi'ists to the muzzle, took 

 the berrj^ between them, gave it two or three energetic bites, and then held the 

 berry oft! So I now understood what the unusually long thumbs were for : for 

 they applied themselves dexterously to the berry, held it firmly, and then, as it 

 appeared to me, bj^ a reverse action of the two wrists the berry was turned round, 

 a fresh hold taken by the teeth, and the same licking process renewed till the seed 

 in the centre was cleaned of the pulp, all but the little bit which served for the last 

 tooth-hold. It was then dropped, and the eager little muzzle raised for more." 



The Short-Nosed Vampires. 



Genus Artibeiis, etc. 



The short-nosed vampires comprise a group of nine genera, all the membei-s of 

 which are mainly of friigivorous habits. These bats may be easily recognised at 

 sight by their very short and generally wide muzzles, furnished with a shoi-t nose- 

 leaf, of which the front portion is hoi-seshoe-shaped, and the hinder part spear-like. 

 The membrane between the hind legs has its hinder margin excavated to form a 

 hollow curve : and there is no trace of a tail. Two of the best known species are 

 Artibeus jilanirostris and A. })e7'splUafv.<:, the former of which was regarded by 



Charles Waterton as the veritable blood-sucking vampire. 

 The latter is abundant in the caves of Jamaica, and feeds 

 on bread-nut, mangoes, and other fruit : it measures 3i 

 inches in length, and, with its allies, may be considered 

 in South America to take the place of the fmit-bats of 

 the Old World. These bats &y early in the evening, and 

 are in the habit of reposing during the daj- in places 

 exposed to a considerable amount of light, having been 

 HEAD OF cEXTCRios BAT. obscrvcd bcneatli the eaves of a house in Demerara with 

 om o son.) ^-^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^,^^ setting sun shining full on them. In 



other places they have been found roosting in lai-ge clustei-s beneath the fronds of 

 the cocoanut palm. Of another Jamaica species {Stenodemia achradophiluvi) Mr. 

 P. H. Gosse remarks that it " feeds on the frait of the nasebeny. About a quarter 

 of an hour after the sun has set, and while the skj- is still glowing with effulgent 

 clouds, these bats begin to fly round the tree. . . . On picking up a fruit you find 

 that it has been just bitten and nibbled in a rugged manner. Fragments of nasebeny 

 of considerable size, partly eaten by a bat, are frequently found at the distance of half 

 a mile from the nearest naseberry tree." The centurion bat {Centurio senex), of 

 which the head is represented in the accompanpng illustration, diffei-s from all the 

 members of this group by the absence of a tlistinct nose-leaf. Owing to the remark- 

 able foldings of the skin, the face of this bat presents a most grotesque appearance. 



