The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1895-07-02
THE UNCANNY BAT.
FACTS OFINrERESTA BOUTTUIS
CURIOUS ANIMAL.
Its Power OF Sustained Flight-In
Spite OF Its Hideous Appear
ancc IL is Entirely
Harmless.
T NOTWITHSTANDING the fac

y that bats. or at least all that
v lnhabit North America, are
o perfectly harmless little ami
mails, the presence of one, says the
Washington Star, excitss almost as
much alaIm as does a snake. There is
something so silent and mysterious,
not TO say uncanny, about them that
popular prejudice cannot be easily
overcome. They suggest Mt once
darkness, damp, unwholesome caverns
and n general tendency to the super
stitious, for many ghost has turned
out TO be bat. And when one is
killed, and as n matter of mistaken
principle n bat is almost ALWAYS
killed on sight, the examination is not
likely to be reassuring, for its appear
ances are rather against it. Were il
not for tho fact that it is so small as
to be obviously harmless. it would
seem to be Il very formidable animal,
for it has hidcous face and a mouth
filled with sharp teeth. If bat could
be multiplied in size few times, we
should have an animal by the side of
which the tabled dragon would pale
into comparative insignificance In
deed, some of the bats inhabiting the
tropics are of considerable size, but
they are also comparatively harmless.
While bats are not likely to he
selected rs pets, there are, neverthe-
less, many things Of interest about
them. In the first place, they are the
only mammals in the world adapted
for sustained flight. The flying
suuirral Ny,no lo,,ur %, 49,, a -
or rather sail, from tree to tree, but
they cannot continue in the air, in
fact, can only sail from n higher to
lower point. Bats, however, can con-
tinue on the wing for hours, and are
SO perfectly adapted for this sort of
existence that their appearance on the
ground Is awkward in the extreme.
The name OF flying mouse, given
them by our early English ancestors,
was much more appropriate, for they
have quite the appearance of mouse.
In certain parts of Britain they are
still called filter mice. But different
rs bats may seem from ordinary mann
mails, their adaptation for flight has
been accomplished by nature in "A very
simple manner, as may be seen by
% comparing the skeleton with that of a
mammal or bird. The essential fact
has been brought about by greatly
lengtheniug the bones of the fingers
rs II point of attachment for thin mem
branous wings, or, rs Goldsmith hap
ply puts it, "the fingers serve like
masts that keep the canvas of sail
spread and regulate its motions" The
wing membranes are continuous from
the last finger and thumb to the sides
of the body, reaching below the knee,
and from this point to the ankle or
even to the foot. When the bat is at
rest the fingers are folded by move
ment ut the root of the hand, which
brings them together in compact
bundle like the ribs of a closed un-
brella. During the daytime, or while
in. repose, the body is supported in
one of two ways, either it is hung by
the claws of the hind feet, with the
head downward, or it is prone, that Is,
with the trout OF the body downward
on the plane of support The usual
manner IS to see them suspended by
the hind feet.
1t need hardly be said that bats are
nocturnal, an l never seen during the
sunlight, unless startled from some
dark corner. They spend the day in
hollow trees, caverns aud dark re-
cesscs of buildings. They are said
TO be especially abundant in the yell
lOwstOne National Park, where they
congregdto in immense numbers dur
ing the day in the caverns and little
pockets in the rocks near the hot
springs. they seem to appreciate the
warmth, aud hundreds may be startled
from every Granny. In cold countries
the bats hibernate during the winter.
or when it is too cold for them 60 cap
ture their insect food. A few species
probably migrate much as do the
birds, thus following the food supply
The food Of American bats is almost
exclusively insects, and OF these they
destroy great numbers. They are
especially fond Of flies, aud are often
seen in houses in early evening in
dustriOusly plying their vocation. In
South America at least one species,
the vampire, sucks the blood oil other
mammals, md many very extraordi-
nary stories have been told OF its
bloolthirstincss It is said to be
especially persistent attacking sleep.
ing natives, often drawing So much
blood ns to- actually weaken the man
before detection. But probably the
stories have been exaggerated.
The fruit.cating bats are confined
to tho warmer regions OF Asia aud
Afric9, mud among them are the largest
D.