Sept 1 1826 Bats

THE VAMPIRE

We will now take a view of the Vampire. As there was a free entrance to the vampire in the loft where I slept I had many a fine opportunity of paying attention to this nocturnal surgeon. He does not always live on blood. When the moon shone bright, and the fruit of the banana tree was ripe, I could see him approach and eat it. – he would also bring into the loft, from the forest, a green round fruit, something like the wild guava, and about the size of a nutmeg. There was something also in the blossom of the Sawarri nut tree which was grateful to him: for, in coming up Waratilla creek in a moonlight night, I saw several vampires fluttering round the top of the Sawarri tree, and every now and then the blossoms which they had broken off fell into the water. They certainly did not drop off naturally; for on examining several of them, they appeared fresh and blooming. So I concluded the vampires pulled them from the tree either to eat the incipient fruit or to catch the insects which often take up their abode in flowers.

The vampire in general measures about twenty-six inches from wing to wing extended, though I once killed one which measured thirty two inches. He frequents old abandoned houses and hollow trees ; and some times a cluster of them may be seen in the forest, hanging head downwards from the branch of a tree. The vampire has a curious membrane, which rises from the nose, and gives it a very singular appearance. It has been remarked before, that there are two species of vampire in Guina, a larger and smaller. The larger sucks men and other animals; the smaller seems to confine itself chiefly to birds. I learnt from a gentleman, high up in the river Demerara, that he was completly unseccessful with his fowls, on account of the smaller vampire.

He showed me some that had been sucked the night before, and they were scarce able to walk. Some years ago, I went to the river Paumaron with a Scotch gentleman, by name Tarbert. We hung out hammocks in the thatched loft of a planter’s house. Next morning I heard this gentleman muttering in his hammock, and now and then letting fall an imprecation or two, just about the time he ought to have been saying his morning prayers. “What is the matter sir?” said I softly ; “is anything amiss?” “What’s the matter!” answered he, surilly ; “why the vampires have been sucking me to death.” As soon as there was light enough, I went to his hammock, and saw it much stained with blood.

“There,” said he, thrusting his foot out of the hammock, “see how these infernal imps have been drawing my life’s blood.” On examining his foot, I found the vampire had tapped his great toe and there was a wound somewhat less than that made by a leech; the blood was still oozing from it. I conjectured he might have lost ten to twelve ounces of blood. Whilst examining it, I think I put him into a worse humor by remarking that a European surgeon would not have been so generous as to have blooded him without making a charge. He looked up in my face, but did not say a word ; I saw he was of opinion that I had better have spared this piece of ill timed levity.

Waterton’s Wanderings in South America.

### Print Info

* The Vampire
* by: Waterton
* American Watchmen & Delaware Advertiser
* Wilmington, Del.
* Number 482 Volume 5, page 1
* Friday Sept. 1st, 1826

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