The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1882-12-13


Western Texas, says correspondent.
abounds in bats, and the collecting and
shipping of "bat guano" bids fair to
be one of the prominent industries of
the State. About twenty miles north
of San Antonio is one of these bat
caves. The shaft is used only for
hoisting out the guano, the entrance,
both for man and bat, is at the natural
kportal in the center of an oak grove
In spite of the odor and the pungent
ammonia l climbed halfway down
the incline, but the creatures looked so
uncanny upon a near approach that
! was fain to beat u retreat, and
stationing myself on q smooth rock.
directly over the entrance, awaited
as patiently as possible the time
when they should see fit to come out.
Suddenly | was aware of bat gyra-
ting around the bottom of the pit in
an irresolute, indefinite, but exceed
ingly rapid flight. And 10 instead of
one there were three of them crossing
and recrossing each others tracks, and
then as quick us a wink" the pit was
full of them A stream of them was
pouring from the archway into the
bowl, like a stream of water from n
sluiceway opening into the bottom of
tank, and like it they swirled around
and around in a rapid whirlpool from
the left to right, crowding so closely
that they hid the rock on the opposite
side, flooding the pit higher and higher,
until they reached the brim, when they
overHowed at point Just above where
l was sitting and poured off between
two trees toward the eastward.
AT first | was afraid lest some clumsy
one might strike me in the face, but
| very soon saw that l was in mo- dan
ger, for, however erratic their motions,
they managed TO avoid each other in
spite Of the fact that there were at
least three bats to every cubic foot of
space in column full thirty feet in
diameter, and all in rapid motion.
Possibly they took me for stump, for.
though as the column swayed from
side to side l was at times in the very
thick of them. none of them so much.
as grazed me. The head of the column
led off due east and the rest followed
in straight line, though the indi-
Vidual members acted on the prin-
ciple of "diversity in unity" for
they never retained their relative posi-
tions for moment, but snarled them
selves up incessantly, while single
ones, crazier than their fellows, turned
two or three somersaults on their own
hook, and even then were sucked back
into the current and swept on by it.
The whirr of the myriad wings was
tremendous ! Nothing is more noise
less than the flight of single bat as
he ieclines 'to come into the hat" but
the beating of those thousand wings
was like the roar of a tempest They
made no other sound, their shrill
squeaking being hushed as they came
out of the cave. 1t was exactly
7:15 o'clock when the first
bat appeared and ten min
utes later, when turned to watch the
direction of their fight, the head of
the column was lost in the distance.
The superintendent told me that often
when they have come out early he has
marked the column for fully ten miles,
still keeping together, and all heading
in one direction. Even with a power
full field glass he has never been able
to perceive any deviation from the di-
rection, whatever it may be, that they
take at starting. Darkness descended
while / watched the stream as, with
undiminished volume, it poured out of
the archway, swirled around and
flowed eastward.