The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1877-10-04
Battling Battalions of Bats.
st. Louis Globe Democrat. |


with bats. McAtee lives in a double log
house, the outside of which is weather.
boarded. About two weeks ago he no
ticed large number Of bats flying in the
direction of his house, and cOncealing
| themselves in the corners of the windows
| and under the weather boarding. He
Immediately began an open slaughter on
them, and in a few minutes had killed
seventy, this number being all that he
could reach with such weapons as he
then had at hand. Next morning none
were to be seen, but at twilight they re
turned in such vast numbers as to appal
him. His attention was first directed to
the neighborhood of his gate at which
point he heard innumerable fitting noises
like a storm in the distance Looking
that way, he saw what at first he took to
be black cloud of bats approaching, as
if making ready to alight and McAtee
nstlnctively retreated from the tormida-
bic enemy, rushed through the front
door, closed the shutters and lowered the
window sashes. BY some means con-
siderable number found entrance into the
| room, and McAtee and hired man sue
! ceeded, with brooms, in killing about 100
On the outside he could hear a tremen-
dOuS cOmmOton. as if the bats were
swarming and fighting among themselves.
After the bats had been disposed OF, Me
Aztec went through the back yard, and
around to the south side of the house.
where the horde had congregated The
scene at the window is described bV
him to have been of the most eXtraordi-
nary character. The air was filled with
myriads of bats flying and circling about
in all directions and darling against each
other with audible force. 4 huge and
wreathing mass had settled on the WIN
dow sill, and the entire frame as well as
the wooden part OF the sash was covered
with them. The weather board NC, for
at least five feet on each side of tie win
dow and from the lower logs to the top
OF the house, was covered with the black
throng. 4 bright light shone through
the window panes and everything on the
outside was plainly visible. Though til.
greater part of the invaders showed a
preference for this window, a general in
spection showed that they were distrib-
uted over the entire premises. Hearing
a great uproar in the hen house, Mr. Ne
Aztec rushed in that direction and found
his entire fowl yard, in which were $50
fowls, including chickens, turkeys and
gulneas, in the most extraordinary state
OF perturbation. An army of bats had
made then way through the crevces and
We're lndulglng in such desperate demon
STATIONS Of fitting and crcling that
every feathered inhabrant had been
frightened from its roost, and the dis
turbed chanticleer, the cackling hen and
the shrill guinea made night hdeous with
their notes OF alarm. Every out house ON
the place was either surrounded or inVad-
ed. In the stables where three horses
were munchlng their evening oats. there
was dread paving and whining. and
an examination revealed the fact that
every stall and trough was infested with
bats, and McAtee deemed it Il matter of
prudence to turn the horses loose into the
pasture. The dogs-o' which there were
SIN on the place went around bowling in
dlsmay at the strange spectacle As Ne
Aztec walked through the yard, the ain
was thick with bats, and he had to keep
up continual fighting with his hands
and arms to keep them from striking him
in the face.
Overcome and confused by this phe-
nOmenal visitation, McAtee at first did
not know what to do, bur finally conceiv-
ed plan which resulted in the CAPTURE
and death of at least a very large number
of them. An hour had passed away ana
the pests were us numerous at the south
WINDOW as they were at first. He pro-
posed 10 his hired man that they raise
the sash and let the bats in, then close
the window shutters from the outside.
and having thus trapped the game pro
coed to dispatch it in the most eXpedi-
tous manner. This plan was ut once put
into execution. As soon us the window
sash was raised thousands rushed in. and
in five minutes there was net a vacant
spot on ceiling. wall floor, table, bed
post, bureau or chair. The window was
closed and McAtpe and his hired man be-
gan the work OF destruction Some of
the bats seemed to realize the dire fate to
which they were doomed, and made DIES
peratc efforts to find egress through the
window panes. Others made war on the
assaulting party, and the hired man was
bitten once on the face and twice on his
left hand. The two men were armed with
AK helvts, and they made fearful havoc
among the foe. The slaughter continued
an hour and a half, many of the bats be
ING perched at points of the ceiling diff
cult to reach. The result, by actual
count, was !, lob dead bats, and their
carcasses filled a large barrel which holds
over five bushels. Though this ONSLAUGHT
greatly diminished the number Of inva-
ders, there were still hundreds and per
haps, thousands of them left, though ow-
ing to the darkness, it was found mplac
ticable to make further war on them.
Next morning when McAtee aWole not a
bat was to be seen, all the survivors hay
ing disappeared as mystcriously as they
came.
1t seems, however, that the bats were
determined to make McAtees house their
haunt, and the following night they
sWarmed as tormdably us on their first
visit, and over three thousand were kill
ed. They still persisted in coming, and
up to this time there have upwards of H.
600 been slain, and though there is Wis
IDLE and gratifying falling off in the num-
Der of invaders, they yet intest the prem
lSeS IN sufficient numbers to be very troub-
lesome. Where they come from and why
they have selected that particular place
as a resort are two mysteries which have
not yet been tathomed 1t is believed
that they come from an immense thickct,
about ten miles up the Missouri River
where they breed in countless numbers. 1t
is known that this thicket or swamp is
thlckly infested with them, and still hunt
ers have often found them so numerous
in certain spots that they could not make
headway without great annoyance Nc
Aztec considers the visitation a calamity.
and is carrying on relentless war of eX-
termination. The invading bat is of the
common insectivorous species, quadlu-
pal, and with body much like that of a
mouse The story is certainly an extra
culinary one and its truth is vouched for
by several reliable witnesses.