280 BLUEFIELDS. 



my. The little piccaninjiies play about on the banks, 

 exhibiting their plump oily faces to the sun, or lie 

 on the grass beneath the fruit-trees that are so nu- 

 merous, sucking the oranges and mangoes that grow 

 in profuse abundance. 



One evening in the beginning of December my lad 

 Sam, having gone out to chat vv^ith the young women 

 before they left for home, and to assist to place the 

 immense baskets of wet clothes upon their heads, 

 where the negro carries everything, heavy or light — 

 had his notice attracted by a great number of Bats 

 flying a little before sunset under the Avocada Pear- 

 trees. With an insect-net, which he hastened to 

 procure, he captured one, and on the next evening 

 another, both of which were of one species, the Red 

 Hairy-tail of the United States {Lasiurus rufus). 



One of them had its wing broken by the net, and 

 soon died ; the other was uninjured. Its briglit 

 rufous colour, round head, short ears, prominent 

 nose, and small eyes, gave it a remarkable aspect, 

 especially since it usually kept these last closed; 

 when their position could with difficulty be recog- 

 nised. When held in the hand, the long tail and 

 ample interfemoral membrane, (wliich is clothed on 

 its upper surface with rufous hair like the body,) 

 were continually bent up towards the belly. In its 

 impatience of restraint it was perpetually claioing 

 with the hind feet at anything within reach, by 

 which it tore several holes in the membrane of its 

 own wings ; for the same reason it strove to bite, 

 seizing its hind feet or tail with its jaws, or snapping 

 at my fingers ; but I found that though the little 



