. The American natural history : a foundation of useful knowledge of the higher animals of North America . Natural history. VAMPIRE BATS 63 bats, the others as the short-nosed vampires. The centre of abundance of these creatures ap- pears to be the valleys of the Amazon and the Rio Negro, and the adjacent regions; but one of the species ranges all the way from Chile to Mexico. Of the true vampires, the Javelin Bat1 is the one which is most aggressive, and most dreaded. It bites horses and cattle, usually on the shoulders, neck or hindquarters, and makes a wound in the skin of sufficient depth
. The American natural history : a foundation of useful knowledge of the higher animals of North America . Natural history. VAMPIRE BATS 63 bats, the others as the short-nosed vampires. The centre of abundance of these creatures ap- pears to be the valleys of the Amazon and the Rio Negro, and the adjacent regions; but one of the species ranges all the way from Chile to Mexico. Of the true vampires, the Javelin Bat1 is the one which is most aggressive, and most dreaded. It bites horses and cattle, usually on the shoulders, neck or hindquarters, and makes a wound in the skin of sufficient depth to cause blood to flow freely, even after the bat has flown away. Naturally, an animal that is thus preyed upon soon grows thin in flesh, and becomes visibly weakened. On the island of Mucina, in the delta of the Amazon, the serious injuries in- flicted by the Javelin Bats upon domestic animals have long been known. But where true vampires are abundant, they do not confine their attacks to domestic animals. Human beings are occasionally called upon to pay blood tribute to the small wing-handed demons of the air. Men are bitten at night, when asleep, usually either upon the nose, or the feet. With its sharp-edged teeth, the creat- ure makes a very small round hole in the skin, and by means of mouth suction which must be quite powerful, the blood is soon flowing freely. Fortunately, blood-poisoning is not an attendant evil of the Vampire's bite, and the wound seldom becomes painful. The common Javelin Bat measures a little less than 4 inches in length of head and body, and in color is reddish brown. All the other true vampires are smaller, and all are practically tailless, the parachute membrane stretching between the legs, quite down to the feet, without the support of tail vertebrae. Naturally, these creatures are widely known; for any bat which lives upon warm blood, always drawn from a liv- ing fountain, is bound to acquire wide notoriety and a very evil reputation. The skull
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