3°° 
BATS. 
The Chin-Leafed Bats. 
Genera Ghilonycteris and Mormops. 
Two genera, the one containing six and the other two species, differ from 
the other members of this family in the absence of a nose-leaf, the function of 
which is performed by folds or lappets of skin 
depending from the chin. These bats may 
consequently be called chin-leafed bats. They 
are of small size, the largest only measuring 
2 b inches in length, exclusive of the tail. The 
two species belonging to the genus Mormops 
are distinguished from those included in the 
genus Ghilonycteris by the great elevation of 
the crown of the head above the line of the 
face, as shown in our illustration. While most 
of the species are dull-coloured, Blainville’s 
chin - leafed bat {Mormops blainvillei ) is 
remarkable for the bright orange hue of its fur; and it is also noticeable for its 
extremely fragile structure, the head being so delicately formed that light can 
actually be seen through the roof of the open mouth. 
The Harmless Vampires. 
Genus Vampirus. 
We take as our first example of those having a nose-leaf, the well-known great 
vampire ( Vampirus spectrum). It belongs to a group of the family in which the 
tail, when present, perforates the membrane between the legs. The nose-leaf, as 
in most members of the family, is spear-shaped, whence the name of spear-nosed 
bats, frequently applied to all the vampires. The great vampire, according to 
Bates, is abundant in many parts of the Valley of the Amazon, such as the 
neighbourhood of Ega; and it is the largest of all the South American species, 
measuring 28 inches in expanse of wing. “ Nothing in animal physiognomy can 
be more hideous than the countenance of this creature when viewed from the 
front,—the large leathery ears standing out from the sides and top of the head, 
the erect spear-shaped appendage on the tip of the nose, the grin, and the glistening 
black eye,—all combining to make up a figure that reminds one of some mocking 
imp of fable. No wonder that some imaginative people have inferred diabolical 
instincts on the part of so ugly an animal. The vampire is, however, the most 
harmless of all bats, and its inoffensive character is well known to residents on the 
Amazon. I found two distinct species of it, one having the fur of a blackish colour 
( V. auritus), the other of a ruddy hue ( V spectrum), and ascertained that both fed 
chiefly on fruits. The church at Ega was the headquarters of both kinds. I used 
to see them, as I sat at my door during the short evening twilights, trooping forth 
by scores from a large open window at the back of the altar, twittering cheerfully 
as they sped oft to the borders of the forest. They sometimes enter houses. The 
HEAD OF BLAINVILLE’S CHIN-LEAFED BAT. 
(From Dobson’s Catalogue, of Bats in 
British Museum .) 
