The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-03

by clustering so thickly upon the laden
boughs More than that, they plumber
carrying away with them such quantities
of fruit, it is often possible to trace their
course of flight by the husks and sucked
skins dropped on the way.
When "a cocoa-nut grove is plundered
many of the tats do not fly away. They
gnaw through the HUI Is to suck the milk
of the young nuts, which ferments 50
quickly it makes them drunk. Hundreds
have been found lying blind and stupid at
the foot of cocoanut trees. drunken
bat has this much in common with
drunken human being-he falls easily-so
easily ne is not bruised, even from the
hight of a co GA palm, which is seldom
less than 100 feet. Take him how you will
the fruit-eating bat is not a desirable
neighbor. Individually he smells Of musk
Multiply the musk by ten thousand and
the odor becomes almost uncomfortable
This f ON the bodies alone-the dropping
bat guano--are more offensive than even
Peruvian guano.
In temperate countries bats hibernate
sleeping away the cold weather packed
snug in the narrowest available Granny
If routed out and brought to light, they
revive squeak family, then fall over as
though dead. They have the trick OF
pay Zig PeS SQLH 10 ESCAPE NdpLAf4C
and resort 10 it even in summer The
common night-hying bat is both an IN
sect destroyer and an insect breeder. 1t
feeds upon flies, gnlts, mosquitoes and
small moths 1t Abre DIS the odoriferous
and detestabe bedbug, and in such guam
titles its alb ding place becomes quickly
nest of them. In midsummer the req
pests often cling to the flying bats, ana
are thus introduced into the most care
fully kept houses, if unscreened windows
are left open.
The queer leaf-noeed bat Is a cave
dweller, but sometimes harbors in trees
and like his congeners, climbs about them
backwards, and head downward. He feeds
ndifferently on fruit or insects, hiber-
mates only slightly-in the very coolest
weather, and is altogether the most alert
OF his tribe.
For long it was held that the vampire
bat was purely a crea ture of imagination,
though travellers reported vague terrors
regarding it, from South American wildS.
There it was eventually found. In realty
it is a bat with wings fifteen to twenty
inches in spread. and particularly oeaN-
like mouth full of sharp teeth 1t SUCKS
the blood of grazing beasts-horses, cat
tie, and so on which feed at night p"
escape insects. 1t also flies into sta.
bles, which are more or less open. ana
If undisturbed. will draw quart Of blooa
at a time. The wounds II makes are nos
dangerous but the animals of course gro"
weak from loss of blood. Travellers nave
special need to beware Of vampire oals,
since they suck just at the junction 81
neck and shoulder high up on the WIZ
ers. and thus make sores which the sal-
die is apt to further infiame. Commonly
the sucking is so gently done the animas
are often unconscious Of 1t. But Vel!
hungry bat sometimes bites so hsrd, 10
sets his prey kicking and squealing. Ihen
terror seems to seize upon the Whole
bunch of beasts. with the result oI.en
times of a midnight stampede. Trad''N.
said the vampires lulled their victims u
sleep by flaming them with their Wits,
Fact and tradition have this much %
agreement-the vampire bat does wave ~
wings as it sucks. but 1t IL evidently %
the butterfly waves his, to keep nus Oa'
ance. not to charm his victim asleep
Inevitably the bat is center OF s'P
stition. The Germans call him H!eov ".
maus, flying mouse. His Engisn lg-e
name is f1itter-mouse. or were-mouse' -
the Greeks he was Chieroplane the NAM lrs.
winged and sacred to Proserpine. -
Jews held him most unclean OF all nsas az.
In China contrariwise he IL auspl
especially II he files over the oeslI, .s.,
OF Journey, or Into the apartment N'@
holds q wedding feast IT.,
Martha McCulloch Wilhaul'