42 Anccdotul Natural History. 



of the uody, generally selecting a toe as the point 01 

 operations, when it attacks a human being, and then 

 sucking the blood from the wound until it is thoroughly 

 satiated, a condition which seldom ensues until a 

 considerable quantity of blood has been abstracted. 

 The bite causes no pain at the time, and very little 

 afterwards, the only ill effects arising from the loss of 

 so large a quantity of blood. 



The Vampire seems rather capricious in its tastes, 

 for while one person may suffer from its attacks night 

 after night, another individual, reposing perhaps only 

 two or three feet distant, may leave his feet uncovered 

 with perfect impunity, the bats never attempting to 

 interfere with them. The late Mr. Waterton was one 

 of these fortunate individuals. When travelling in 

 British Guiana, with the hope of ascertaining exactly 

 the mode of the vampire's attack, and the effects of 

 the bite, he slept for several months in an open loft, 

 purposely leaving his feet exposed. Yet, though the 

 bats were frequently seen hovering over his hammock, 

 and a young Indian, who also slept there, was 

 repeatedly bitten, he was never attacked. 



Cattle are great victims to the ravages of the vam- 

 pires, which often reduce them to a mere mass of 

 skin and bone by the frequency of their attacks. The 

 wound is usually inflicted upon the flanks of the 

 animal, just where the teeth or feet of the victim 

 cannot reach it ; and in cases where there is pressure 

 from harness or other causes, often leads to consider- 

 able damage. 



None of our British species are capable of harm, 

 the teeth being too small to produce any impression 

 upon the skin. Among the lower classes, neverthe- 

 less, bats are held in the greatest dread, and many 

 a countryman would as soon handle an enraged viper 

 as one of these harmless little creatures. 



