Animals of Peru. 1717 



These monkeys, which are the largest in South America, are about three feet high, and 

 are bold and vicious. When wounded they take a position of defence against the 

 hunter, struggling, and uttering loud cries, upon which their companions hasten down 

 from the trees to assist them. But soon a short stifled cry is heard ; it is the cry of 

 mortal convulsion. That sound drives them instantly back, and they disperse in wild 

 flight. The sly sayu ventures to approach the dwellings of men, where he plunders 

 maize-fields with incredible dexterity. The delicate silky-haired monkey, shivering 

 at every cool breeze or shower of rain, and starting at the slightest noise, creeps for 

 shelter into the thicket, where he lies peeping with his penetrating eyes in the direction 

 of the apprehended danger. 



" At sunset swarms of bats flutter through field and forest in all directions, and 

 greedily devour the insects which in the twilight awaken to full activity. Some of 

 these bats (Phyllostoma hastatum, Geoff.) are remarkable for their expanse of wing, 

 which measures nearly two feet. Others are distinguished for ugliness, and for their 

 offensive smell. These latter fly into the Indian huts at night, and greatly annoy the 

 inhabitants, who cannot get rid of them by fire or smoke, or any other means, until at 

 the midnight hour they retire of their own accord. Not less troublesome are the leaf- 

 nosed bats (Phyllostoma), which attack both man and beast. This bat rubs up the 

 skin of his victim, from which he sucks the blood. The domestic animals suffer 

 greatly from the nocturnal attacks of these bats, and many are destroyed by the ex- 

 haustion consequent on the repeated blood-sucking. The blood drawn by the bat it- 

 self does not exceed a few ounces ; but if, when satisfied, it drops down to the ground, 

 or flies away, the wound continues to bleed for a long time, and in the morning the 

 animal is often found in a very weak condition, and covered with blood. One of my 

 mules, on which a leaf-nosed bat made a nightly attack, was only saved by having his 

 back rubbed with an ointment made of spirits of camphor, soap, and petroleum. The 

 blood-suckers have such an aversion to the smell of this ointment, that on its applica- 

 tion they ceased to approach the mule. These bats are very mischievous in the plan- 

 tations of the forests, where beasts of burthen and horned cattle are exposed to their 

 attacks. Whether they venture to assail man has been a much-disputed question. 

 Several travellers declare that they do not. I may, however, mention a case which oc- 

 curred within my own knowledge. A bat (Ph. erythromos, Tsch.) fastened on the nose 

 of an Indian lying intoxicated in a plantation, and sucked so much blood that it was 

 unable to fly away. The slight wound was followed by such severe inflammation and 

 swelling that the features of the cholo were not recognisable. 



" Many beasts of prey, and among them some of formidable strength and fierce- 

 ness, make havoc among the other animals of the forests. In the more lofty moun- 

 tains the black bear (Ursus frugilegus, Tsch.) roams as wild as his fellow-depredator of 

 the Cordillera. He often enters the maize-fields of the Indians, breaks the stalks of 

 the plants, and drags the green tops away to his hole. When this bear cannot obtain 

 his customary vegetable food, consisting chiefly of the fruits of a pandanea, (Phytele- 

 phas), he watches for the deer and wild boars, or attacks the oxen employed to turn 

 the machinery in the sugar-mills ; he has even been known to assail solitary travellers. 

 The lively coatis traverse the forests in flocks. They collect round the roots of trees 

 and search for the larvae of insects ; light-footed, they climb up bush and tree to find 

 birds' nests, and feast on the eggs and the young. With a monotonous howl, not un- 

 like that made by some dogs on a clear moonlight night, the yellow-breasted glutton 

 (Galictis barbara, Wieg.), the omeyro of the Indians, announces his presence. But 

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