Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1921-12-29

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home, some limping, and all was again
peaceful in Happy Hollow.
which DR.. Campbell presents it, the de-
meanor and facial expression of the in
dividual changes into one of wonder
ment. Here is letter received by DR..
Campbell that speaks for itself:
'Dr. Charles A. R. Campbell, 223
West Nueva St, San Antonio, Tex:
Dear Sir-When | first came to this
city several years ago and read in the
newspapers the original theory you
had advanced regarding the extermin-
alton of mosquitoes by bats, was
highly amused. for thought it was
well-known fact. wish to say that
| know from personal experience and
observation that your theory is entire
ly correct.
Some years ago | had trip to
make in the interior of South America,
starting from the City of La Paz in Bo-
livia and proceeding by stagecoach
muleback, and native canoes, we fin
ally reached the small town of Trini-
dad, the capital of the Bolivian north
ern provinces. On the way down
the river to Trinidad. we had to
use mosquito. bars on our cots ev-
cry evening, for as soon as the sun
went down, the beaches, where we
made our nightly stops, were filled by
millions of mosquitoes. There were
no hotels in the place, as very few ira
veIers ever reach it; and we finally
found place in private house where
we arranged to sleep outside on the
gallery. When the evening arrived |
started to put up my mosquito bar, Dut
the natives told me it was not needed;
for there were no mosquitoes. | did
not believe them at first; but, after in
vestigation, and finding that no one
in town used mosquito bars, | slept
without mine, and was not bothered by
mosquitoes. There was only one thing
that kept the mosquitoes out of Trim
idad, and that was the enormous col
ony of bats that made this town their
home. During the day one could hear
them in the roofs on the houses, and,
on going to see the only church in the
town, large barn-like structure. just
about dusk, we were amazed at a
regular cloud of bats coming out the
/ front door. | think that my experience
in that town proves without the shad-
ow of doubt that bats will extermin-
ate mosquitoes in any number, provid-
ed you have sufficient bats,
William L. Gibson
This entirely agrees with my expert
ences in more than one place in the
tropics; but in only one place did
make a careful study of the reason
aind found it to be bats. But only,
please remember, that it was the trop-
ical brown bat that cannot stand the
cold and does not hibernate. The So
called yelvet-winged bat is very pro-
baby the black bat that is identical in
dentition and all particulars with the
brown bat, only differing in color and
in the fact that it hibernates and is
found as far north as the Arctic Cir
Gle. If the so-called velvet-wingec
bat used in San Antonio is not identi-
cal with the black bat, then there am
more than two varieties that consume
mosquitoes as their preferred and ia
vorite food.
Before close | want to tell that +;
bat-roost is not all expense and outlay
They are considerably more than self
supporting: the fertilizer that is takel
from the roost at Mitchell's Lake. TO
instance, amounts to more than twt
tons in a year and sells at $1,000 $2O(
a ton.
For some 20 years. whenever
preached the subject of my experienc
es and my later studies of bats. | hav
been told to my face in words tina
means to say, 'You are liar and
crank and batty bat man. and ha,
many, yea, all articles to newspaper
refused publication. And while thi
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