9 8 
MAMMALIA. 
first directed their flight towards the river, undoubtedly to damp 
their mouse-like snouts, but not their spirits, for it was likewise 
observed that they returned to play hide-and-seek and indulge in 
all other imaginable gambols ; when, after gratifying their love 
of sport and satisfying their voracious appetites (as the absence of 
mosquitoes and gnats testified) they would re-enter their habita- 
tion, again to emerge at the first signal of their feathered trumpet- 
er. I thus ascertained one very important fact, namely, that the 
bat, or the species which annoyed us, ate and drank twice in twenty- 
four hours.” After resorting to many ineffectual expedients in the 
vain attempt to rid his home of these multitudinous pests, he 
caused “ all the holes, fissures in the wood-work, and apertures in 
the slating to be hermetically sealed with cement. This put a stop 
to their egress, but to avoid their dying by starvation and depriva- 
tion of water, which would much increase the annoyance by 
adding their dead to their living stench, I ordered apertures of 
about two feet square to be opened in the lathed and plastered 
partition on each side of the garret windows and also in the ceiling 
of every garret room ; lastly, when the bat’s reveille was sounded 
by the bugle of the whippoorwill, all the hands of our establish- 
ment, men and boys, each armed with a wooden implement (shaped 
like a cricket-bat), marched to the third floor ‘ on murderous deeds 
with thoughts intent ’ ; a lighted lantern was placed in the middle 
of one of the rooms, divested of all furniture, to allure the hidden 
foe from their strongholds. After closing the window to prevent 
all escape into the open air, the assailants distributed themselves 
at regular distances to avoid clubbing each other, awaited the 
appearance of the bats, enticed into the room by the artificial light 
and impelled by their own natural craving. The slaughter com- 
menced and progressed with sanguinary vigor for several hours, or 
until brought to a close by the weariness of dealing the blows that 
made the enemy bite the dust, and overpowered by the heat and 
closeness of the apartment. This plan succeeded perfectly. After 
