Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-08-09

'wN nf which arc It's own ncculilr nativas-one
/ tiny creature, not much larger than nn humble
bee, of glossy black hue; the other measuring
from three to four feet from point to point of its
extended wings. This is the roussette or flying
fox, with famous appetite for figs, plantains
rose apples, guayas, and the flower buds Of the
cotton tree. OF the last the roussettes are es-
pecially fond, making the tree their homes all
day, passing their time hanging on its topmost
branches by their hinder claws, with their
chins pressed against their breasts, and their
heads invested in a mantle of the membrane at
tached to the forearm Sunset wakes them up
to feed. They share tho Cingalese love of toddy,
and get drunk by frequentug the cocoa-nut
trees at toddy drawing time.
The Siamese are not the only bat-eaterS in the
world. Purchas, in his Pilgrimage, tells us the
people of Mandura regae themselves upon bats
as large as hens; and the Cavallero Antonio
Pigafetta would have us believe that when he
was at the island of Gatigan, near Ceylon, in
1919, he dined upon bats as large as eagles,
but quite as delicate as fowls. The Cingalese
cat the roussette, and its flavor has been COM
pared, by those who have tried II, TO hare. In
Madagascar and Mauritius, too, the bat is reck-
oned among edible animals. at was not with
out considerable degree of reluctance" says
Able Rochou, "that first ate the bat of NADIA
gascar, dressed after the manner of Il friccasseed
chicken. These bats are SO hideous that the
very sight of them frightens our sailors; yet,
when one can overcome that disgust, their flesh
is found to be- much more palatable than that
of our best fowls" Another French priest
bears similar testimony in favor of the Mauri-
thus bat, which he says has nothing bad about
it but its looks. The Edible Roussette, specially
so called, is of blackish color, about sixteen
inches long in the body, with wings measuring
five feet in extension. 1t is thought to be den-
teal with the Jayanese "kalong" a gregariOus
bat, exceedingly abundant in some parts of
java, where it may be seen suspended to the
naked branches Of the trees in COM
panies several hundreds strong look
ing like some strange fruit; but letting
any disturber of its slumber know by sharp
and piercing shrieks that it is all alive. As soon
as the sunlight dies away the kalongs rouse
themselves and depart in files with u slow,
steady flight to the forests and village planta-
tons, attacking every kind Of fruit they come
across, from the cocoa-nut of the pheasants to
the rare treasures of the chiefs, if they can
manage to get through the bamboo network
protecting the choice products of the gardens
of the grandees. Bats generally are no mean
judges of what Is good; the West Indian bat
shows bis clsVernesS in extracting green peas
out Of their pods by making a hole over every
pea, and grati6es his sweet tooth at the expense
of the sugar-canes.
Old authors relate terrible tales Of the blood
sucking bats, telling Us how Paraguayan plains
are haunted by enormous creatures, that attack
poultry, cattle, mules and horses; sitting upon
the backs of their victims, and with their
wings tanning them into insensibility, SO that
all unchecked, they Stake their horrid thirst,
leaving holes in the skins of their dupee which
aford conYenient places for the deposit of in
sects eggs. In this way the cattle introduced
by the first European settlers were entirely
destroyed. Ulloa describes Carthagena as hay
ing its streets alter sunset covered with clouds
of these deXterious bleeders of cattle.
IL is comforting to know that even such an
unattfactive individual as the bat can boast of
one ardent friend, even If that friend be nothing
better than little parasitic acrobat rejoicing in
the big name of Nycteribia. This extraordi-
nary creature appears az if it had neither head.
antenn@, eyes, nor mouth; but these deticien-
cieS are only seeming ones, owing to its habit of
resting itself wrong side uppermost, with its
head thrown back, and pressed close between
the shoulders, leaving no Vestige of head
where one would expect to find it. 1t really
has mouth, antenne, and four eyes-two upon
each side, which attain their proper position by
q sudden jerk of the nycteribia's flexible lsath-
cry neck. For the purpose of progression this
parasite Is provided with three pairs OF legs
armed with prehensile hooks; these hooks are
so arranged as to appear equally distributed
over the upper and under sides of the insect,
and render it perfectly independent Of the
movements Of the bat, through whose fur il
moves at an inconceYably rapid rate, rolling
along like wheel rotating on the extremities
of rs spokes If it be true that
"E'en little fleas have lesser leas
Upon their backs to bite 'em
And these, again. have lesser feas,
And so Gd tattnittnI,"
the lesser flea that accompanies the bats para
site in Its extraordinary gyrations must be a
curiosity indeed.