Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1893-05-06
VAMPIRES
Stories About the Biood-suckiTs Sas
of south America.

Ever since the South American Con.
tinent was discovered, especially that
part Of it lying between the Amazon and
Orinoco rivers, travellers have come
from there with wonderful tales of the
vampires, or, as they call them, blood
sucking bats. As fact. little is known
about these pests. That there are blood
sucking bats which feed not only on the
blood of man but also animals is an uu-
doubted fact, and though the writer
has never been bitten by one, he has,
while travelling in the interior Of British
Guiana, seen Indians and ponies that
had undoubtedly been bitten by these
bats. In the case of u man attacked the
toe or nose Is the point punctured, while
animals are liable to be bitten anywhere.
How the bat does its ~esk has not been
made clear, for no man has yet awakened
while being operated on by one OF these
bats, despite the fact that considerable
blood is extracted and more or less loss
of blood takes place after the operation.
1t is probable tlR,t the but hovcrs during
the operation rather than rests on the
body. The rapid vibration of the soft
wings probsbly also has Il soothing effect
on the skin OF the part Operated on.
The blood suckers belong to only tw O
or three species and wherever these are
found there are also mauT Others whose
food is only fruit or insects, or both.
The most natural mistake about the bats
which are innocent of pueying on man or
beast is the common suppositon that
vampyrus spectrum is u blood sucker.
The stretch of wings of this bat fire.
| quently reaches three feet, and it has a
most ferooious aspect with enormously
large and pointed Seapue teeth. II Is
perfectly certain that in most parts of
British Guiana this bat is only n fruit
eater and is q serious pest to fruit-grow-
ers. Bates and Edwards, who travelled
much in that country, vouch for Its
harmlcssness, and the writer could never
hear of case where one of these giant
bats was even suspected of being a blood
sucker Wallace, however, gives a diff
ferent account
The vampires are especially plentiful
in the Amazon Valley. Their oarnivor
Gus propensities were once discreditcd
but are too we'll authenticated. Horses
and cattle are often bitten, and we founc
them in the morning covered with blood
and repeated attacks weaken and ulti
mately destroy them. Some persons arr
especially subject to the attacks of thes'
bats, and as native huts are never sufi
GENTLY close to keep them out, those un
fortunate persons are obliged to sleel
completely muiiled up in order to avoiC
being made seriously i'll or even losing
their lives.
Wallace, in saying that "the huts are
never sufficiently close to keep then
out evidently uses the word vampir
as a generic term and does not mean tn
vampyrus spectrum for that bat woul'
find no space large enough to let hin
into even the loosely built huts o
the natives. 1t is this sipshod way o
using the term vampire that bring
trouble to many useful bat. Tn
writer has been in a house where eyer
precaution was taken to keep out bat
which would have been perfect bless
ing in the rooms, as they would hay
/, caught hundreds of mosquitoes. - ,Ne'
, York Tribune.