The semi-weekly Republican. (St. Francisville, La.) 1872-1872, 1872-06-14

CHARMS OF Ills. dam, tOads, beetles,
bats. might light ON him. It would
seem, too, that there was q notion
that the untilnely appearance Of a
bat was ominous Of evil, by the con-
cocters Of book Of pfodigies for
the edifcation of pious Nonconform-
lists thinking the following story
worth printing: "Upon the I'd of
February, 1861, DR.. Belk, one of the
prebends Of Canterbury. did, in the
morning, preach in the cathedral
there and when he was in the
midst Of his sermon a Hinder-mouse,
or bat, did come folth, and flew sew
eral times from one end Of the place
to the other and when he was earn
est In speaking the bat struck at him,
which the people took great notice
of, because of the unusual appear
ancb of the creature at that time of
the day and in the cold winter sea-
son +; as, also, because Of the great
affront offered by her to the doctor
while he WAS officiating"
The temples and tombs Of Egypt
swarm with bats, which resent the
intrusion Of explorers by extinguish-
ing their lights, clinging to their
clothes, and annoying them gener-
ally. Hot countries are the favorite
homes of the bat and in them it
attains size fur beyond any thing
known in nothern ATTITUDES. When
Captain Burton was vending his
way to Daholney he saw the trees
blackened with cling;hg bats, and
the sky speckled with swarms Of
them. The Bornean sky is said to
be obscured for two hours at a time
by dense tlocks of bats. In Cey)on,
too, the bat is a noun of multitude !:
the tunnels OF its highways, the gal
leries of it's Notifications, the roofs
of its bungalows, and the ruins of its
temples abound with them and
every cavern and subterraneous pas
sage affords O convenient domicilc
for these darkness-loying swarms.-
From these they Issue as the sun
goes down, and bold from impunity,
enter the very dining rooms, and
carry off the insects skirmishing
round the table-lamps. The island
possesses no less than sixteen spe-
cies, two of which are its own pecu-
liar natives-one, a tiny creature
not much larger than q bumble-bee
Of a glossy black hue the Other
measuring from three to four feet
from point to point of its extended
wings. This is the roussette, or fly.
ing fox, with famous appetite fol
figs, plantains, rose-apples, guavas
and the fiowcr-buds of the cotton
tree. OF the last the roussettes are
especially fond, making the tree thei1
home all day, passing their time
hanging on it's topmost branches by
their hinder claws, with their chin'
pressed against their breasts, an(
their heads invested in q mantle O
the membrane attached to the fore
arm. Sunset wakes them up to feed
They share the Cingalese love O
toddy, and get drunk by frequentine
the cocoa-nut trees at toddy-draw
ing time.
It is comforting to know that ever
such an unattractive individual al
the bat can boast of one arden
friend, even if that friend be moth
ing better than a little parasitic aero
bat rejoicing in the big name Of Nyc
teribia. This extraordinary creatrr'
appears as if it had neither head
antennn, eyes nor mouth but thes
deficiencies are only seeming ones
owing to it's habit Of resting itsel
wrong side uppermost, with its heae
thrown back, and press close be
tween the shoulders, leaving no YES
tige of head where one would ex
pect to find it. It really has moutl
antenna, and four eyes-two upo1
each side, which attain their prope
position by a sudden jerk of the nyc