I HE PHYLLOSTOMES, OR VAMPIRES. 
325 
leaf-nosed forms. Of course, the presence or absence of the nose-leaf can only be regarded as a 
secondary character ; and we have had occasion to show that its mere existence is not sufficient to over- 
rule other important structural peculiarities (as in the genera Nyctophilus among the Vespertilionidce , 
and Rhinopoma among the Erabcdlonuridcu), but in conjunction with such characters it must be 
regarded as of great value, especially since its development, would seem to be associated, as already 
pointed out, with that wonderful acuteness of the tactile sense which seems to guide the Bats in their 
nocturnal wanderings. 
In the Phyllostomidw, or Leaf-nosed Emballonurinc Bats, this is strikingly the case, and the 
family may be regarded as an especially well-marked group, distinguished from all other Bats (except 
the genus Mystacina) by the presence of three distinct phalanges in the middle finger. Of these 
joints the first is short, and bent up in repose along the 
upper surface of the metacarpal bone, in the manner 
characteristic of the Bats of this division. The nasal 
appendages are sometimes rudimentary, but generally 
exhibit a structure more or less resembling that charac- 
teristic of the Horseshoe Bats, the nostrils opening in the 
fissure between the front-piece, or horseshoe, and true 
nose-leaf; and the chin is furnished with warts, or erect 
ridges of skin, reminding us of the same parts in the 
genus Noctiiio , which certainly forms a sort of transition 
between the Emhallonnn dee and Phyllostomidw. Another 
character which seems at once to distinguish these Leaf- 
nosed Bats from those of the first division is the complete 
development of the intermaxillary bones, which in the 
Rhinolophidce and Nycteridm are rudimentary, or represented by mere cartilages. The dentition 
varies very considerably in tills family, but in all the species the canines are large and acute, and the 
molar teeth show either the usual W-shaped cusps, or a sharp, cutting edge, like that found in some 
carnivorous mammals. 
The Phyllostomidcfi are entirely confined to the warmer parts of America. Several of them are of 
considerable size. The food of some consists of insects ; others find their nourishment in fruits ; and a 
good many appear to have the habit of sucking the blood of other animals — an evil practice which has 
been erroneously ascribed to the species generally, causing them, under the name of Vampires, to be 
regarded as most formidable animals. As many of the accounts of the blood-sucking propensities of 
these Bats give no definite clue to the species referred to, and the number of species which seek this 
form of nourishment, habitually or occasionally, is very doubtful, it may be as well to give a general 
statement on the subject in this place. 
The earliest accounts of the natural history of America contain references to these animals, with 
a probably somewhat exaggerated statement of the fatal effects of their attacks upon men and animals. 
Peter Martyr declares that the Bats suck the blood of men and animals while they are asleep, exhausting 
them to such an extent as to cause death. Piso, Father Jumilla, Hon Antonio de IJlloa, and many 
other writers, express themselves in similar terms, and generally agree in representing the consequences 
of the bites as very serious. 
La Condamine, who travelled in South America in the early part of the last century, confirms the 
above statements as to these Bats, which, he says, attack man, and even destroy animals. He ascer- 
tained that they suck the blood of Horses and Mules, and stated that they had in some places destroyed 
the cattle introduced by the missionaries. 
Azara, in liis natural history of the quadrupeds of Paraguay, describes the blood-sucking habits of 
a species which has been referred to the genus Stenoderma . He says: — “I have seen a great number; 
they were all constantly identical among themselves, but differ from all other Bats in that, when pub 
on the ground, they run nearly as fast as a Hat, and they like to suck blood. Sometimes they bite the 
combs and wattles of sleeping fowls, and suck their blood, in consequence of which the fowls die, 
because the wounds mortify. They also bite Horses, Mules, Asses, and horned cattle, usually on the 
rump, the shoulders, or the neck, because in these parts they find it convenient to cling to the mane or 
42 
SKULL or JAVELIN BAT. 
