Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1860-04-06
Habits of Animals.

Passing from the four-handed animals
described in the last number, we will next
describe the habits of the bats,-animals
with wings on their hands. And these
wings are really upon their hands, and are
spread by expanding the fingers and thumb,
WHICH are connected by membrane ex-
tending from where the arm joins the body,
TO the tips of the fingers, and in the most
active varieties of inscct-hunting bats, even
TO the hind feet, furnishing great expanse
of wing in proportion to the size. The Ka-
long, the largest bat in tie world, with a
body the size Of II large rat, has wings
which measure three feet from tip to tip.
The bats common in the United States are
much smaller, those of the northern States
being about the size of small mouse,
when they greatly resemble were it rot
for their curious wings. These wings are
not, like the feathers of birds, growth
which possesses no life in ITSELF but is an
extension of the skin, supplied with all its
nerves and bloodvessels, extremely sensitive
and very elastic. The circulation in these
attenuated yeing and arteries is aided by
their peculiar valyular structure, and regu-
lar pulsation entirely Independent of bat
of the heart.
The bat is in all climates a nocturnal an
imal. BY day he is found in the darkest
depths of the forest, or in some cave or
old building, where he sleeps suspended by
his hind feet, with his head downward, his
wings folded closely 10 his body, and scarce
ly recognizable as the same animal which
in the deepening twilight fits so rapidly in
and out among the trees in search of his
insect food. All bats are rot insec;Ivorous
many live upon vegetables exclusively, as
the Kalong Of the island Of Java. This
bat is the pest of the valuable orchards and
gardens of the nabobs of that country,
Which it plumbers by night of its choicest
fruits. The hunt of the Kalong is a favor
ie sport, prosecuted by day or night. If
shot as they hang on the trees in the day
time, they do not drop, for the claws of
their hind feet are deeply imbedded in the
limb to which they cling, and the animal
releases himself by some effort and with
the aid of his wings. The custom is to
frighten them from their inaccessible posi-
tion and Kill them on the wing. A person
lying in wait in an orchard by night, may
easily kill dozen or two in short time.
The Vampire bat, of South America,
though at one time considered as the crea-
ture of imaginative travellers, is found TO be
actual fact, in lis most reholtng particulars.
1t is dangerous TO sleep without careful pro-
lection from these bood-suclScrs, for they.
attack without seruple, living flesh in any
form and are very numerous. Cattle have |
died by loss Of blood sucked from their 4.
bodies during sleep by thcs3 thirsty carny-
orG. in some way not clearly explained
by any naturalist, small round hole is
ait.r the vampire has LETT his hold.
Some persons have supposed tlat bats
were possessed Of sixth sense, by which
they detect obstacles to their flight, without
the aid Of sight. This olini5n arose. in
the first instance, from the smalluess OF 4
their eyes, which scarcely exceed those of
the mole. SPallanzani deprived bats of
their eyes, ard let them loose in room
where strings were suspended from the
ceiling 50 closely that they could scarcely 1
Ay between them without touching, whcn
they passed through among them without
the least contact, or hesitation Of manner.
Carlisle, however, found that bats deprived
Of their sight, and wiil iIleis ears stopped
by wax, lost al ega'Fsl Of their motions,