102 TAE VAMPYRE BAT. 



congealt^d blood all round the place where I had 

 lain, upon the ground ; on examining which, the 

 ^urgeon judged that I had lost at least twelve or 

 fourteen ounces during the night *." 



The smell of these creatures is stronger and more 

 rank than that of a Fox ^ ; yet the Indians eat them, 

 and declare their flesh to be excellent food. They 

 become excessively fat at certain times of the year, 

 and it is then that they arc said to be the most deli- 

 cious. The French, who reside in the isle of 

 Bourbon, boil them in their bouillon, /o give it a 

 relish ! 



In New Caledonia the natives use the hair of 

 these animals in the making of ropes, and in the 

 tassels of their clubs ; interweaving it with the 

 threads of Cyperus sqiuurosui %. 



*. Narrative of a» Expedition to Surinam. f Hunter. 



% Penn. Quad. ii. 550. 



