332 ON THE 



most respectabe travellers, but more especially 

 by D'Azzara, Condermine, and Stedman, all 

 of whom are to be depended upon for their au- 

 thenticity. 



From D'Azzara, we have the following remarks. 

 "The species, with a leaf upon the nose, differs 

 from the other Bats, in being able to turn when 

 on the ground, nearly as fast as a rat, and in 

 their fondness for sucking the blood of animals. 

 Sometimes they will bite the crests and beards 

 of the fowls while asleep, and suck the blood. 

 The fowls generally die in consequence of this, 

 as a gangrene is engendered in the wound." 



"They bite also Horses, Mules, and horned cat- 

 le,and usually prefer the flanks, .shoulders, or 

 neck, as they are better enabled to arrive at these 

 parts by the mane and tail. Nor is man himself 

 secure from their attacks. On this point indeed 

 I have been enabled to give a very faithful tes- 

 timony, since 1 have had the ends of my toes 

 bitten by them four times, while I was sleep- 

 ing in cottages in the open country. The wounds 

 which they inflicted without my feeling them at 

 the time, were circular or rather elliptical. 

 Their diameter was trifling, and their depth so 

 superficial, an scarcely to penetrate the cutis. 

 Jt was easy also on examination to perceive, that 

 these wounds were made by suction, and not by 

 puncture, as might be supposed. The blood 

 that is drawn in cases of this description, does 



