The Forrest City times., 1891-04-17
WINGED BLOODSUCKERS.
THE VAMPIRE BAT AND HIS
 TROPICAL HOME.
Horrible Story of the Death of Young Lady-Tho Tale Discreditcd but Others vouched for by
 Professor Henshall.


 time, but Charles Darwin was the first naturalist to prove this characteristic. While in Chilli he found that the bats worried his horses by biting them on the withers. This caused severe in- famation and increased discomfort was caused the animal by the pressure of the saddle on tho wounded parts.
 "One evening Darwin noticed that a certain horse was very restless so he quietly stepped up to the animal and clapped his hand on his withers and was rewarded by catching large bat or vampire in the very act of sucking blood from the horse. There are really only two species of these ferocious bats. One kind lives in Brazil the other in Chilli and the west of South America as far north as Mexico. Their themselves upon larger animals and then filling themselves with blood be- fore letting loose. They have been known, however, to kill and devour smaller species of their own family, but the attacks said to have been made on man are simply myths.
 According to letter written by one James Uhl, who is engaged in the coffee business in Calabozo, Venezuela. his daughter met with singular death last September. The young lady, who had just entered her seventeenth year, had been a somnambulist since child hood and it was supposed that 1t was ! while in one of her frequent frances that she left the house and wandoxed several miles cut into the country. On being searched for her body was fotsld, it is stated, near the roadside with q large vampire clinging to her throN.
 The bat attempted to fly off at the approach of the searchers. the epistle says, but was so gorged with blood that it could not do so, hence it was easily captured. The countenance of the young lady showed that her death had been a painless one. It is thought by her father that she sank down in her sleep and that the vampire at once fastened upon her. A small wound was found just over the jugular vein, where the pearly-white teeth of the monster had punctured the neck. all the while soothing its victim by a gentle, lulling movement of its out spread wings.
 The length of this vampire from tip of wing to tip was over three feet, and while it's weight should have been ten or twelve pounds it was so gorged with blood that it weighed over twenty pounds.
 Dr. James A. Henshall, secretary of the Natural History society. when in- formed of the case, said: That story is a humbug. If there is anything in it at all, it is probable that the bat fastened itself upon the young lady after death. If she had been asleep the attack would have awakened her and she would have had no difficulty in driving it off,"
 The bat is a great curiosity even with natural history students, and there is probably no creature about which so little is known, or about which such an air of mystery hangs. They frequent dark. uncanny places, and being nocturnal in their habits, almost effectually shut out all investi- gation. In the first place they arc true mammals and ta.kc good care of their ono young. If by chance the female should give birth to two young. the male will often take one to himself and rear 1t with as much success as tho mother. 1have known instances wherc two bats have hung themselves up side by side. with the young clinging to both. This method is adopted to keep tho young warm. On another occasion, a boy in Philadelphia cangh, a young bat and started to carry it of, when the mother fe'r upon his breast and suffered herself to be captured Where bat enters room at night. says Prof. Henshell, it is not attracted by the light but by some insect that it is pursuing. The fine membranes called the wings are filled with norves and tho animal guides itself by it's delicate sense of touch. There Is a popular superstition that bat breeds bed bugs. So it does. but not because these insects are native to it. but be- cause of it's frequenting old houses where the insects abound. One reason why people believe in this bedbug story is the odor that attends all bats This odor Is produced by glands and is de- signed for protection. and in fact it aecomplishes its purpose mos. eifectu- ally and serves to make tho bat ono of the most disgusting creatures on earth. have known instances of scientific men getting so nauseated while pun su- ing their studies or these creatures. that they have been compelled to stop work for a time. Tho bat will play possum effectually-all tho time watch ing you with half-closed eyes. As rule they 0'e pugnacious If attacked and in fighting can show two beautiful rows of teeth that are covered with tho whitest of enamel. The resemblance of 6 bat to a mouse Is due to their ears hair and the tail which belongs to some species. Most bats ara insec- tivorous but as thero arc more than 400 species known. there Is wide difference in their habits
 The flying fox or fruit bat s gigantic species that sahsis.s on fruit There are seventy species of the fruit pat. and some of them are ferocious eaters. The bat is your true gormand. and seems to cat merely for pleasure Cocoanuts figs almonds aud bananas are their favorite food. Tho bats will fly to tree and eat until they drop to tho ground through mere exhaustion. There they lie dormant until they get