5 32 STOMACH OF VAMPIRE chap, xvi 



bloodsucking habit ; Ijut its use appears to be merely that of 

 scooping out the soft insides of fruits, upon which the Bat mainly 

 lives. The incisors are only one on each side of the upper 

 jaw. The really bloodsucking P)ats of tliis family belong to the 

 genera Desmodus and Bij^hi/Ua. The former is the Vampire, the 

 species being known as Desmodus rufus. Tliese Bats have no 

 tail ; tliere is no true molar tooth ; the canines are large, and the 

 single pair of upper incisors quite caniniform, and very sharp and 

 strong. These are the main teeth for aggression. In accordance 

 with its diet of blood, the Vampire has a peculiarly modified 

 intestine. The gullet is provided with a bore so small that 

 nothing but fluid food could pass down it ; the stomach is 

 intestiniform in shape. 



