Chapter 41

CHAPTER VI.FAMILY VI.—PHYLLOSTOMIDÆ, OR VAMPIRES.

Distinguishing Marks of thePhyllostomidæ—Location—Diet—Blood-sucking Propensities—Exaggerations of the Older Writers—Testimony of Azara—Darwin’s Evidence—Bat-bites—The Witness of Bates, Wallace, Fraser, Prince Maximilian—Conclusion of the Whole Matter—The Desmodonts and Javelin Bat—The Tongue in the GenusPhyllostoma—BLAINVILLE’SBAT—Extraordinary Development of Face and Head—OWL-FACEDBAT—JAVELINBAT—Allied Species—VAMPIREBAT—Mr. Bates’ Testimony to its Inoffensiveness, and Description of its Habits—NEUWIED’SLARGE-LEAFEDBAT—GREAT-EAREDLEAFBAT—SORICINEBAT—REDMAN’SBAT—SEZEKORN’SLEAFBAT—SPECTACLEDSTENODERM—JAMAICANSTENODERM—DESMODUS—Dentition—Blood-sucking Propensities—The Bites—Stomach of Desmodus, Frugivorous and Insectivorous Bats—Classification—Concluding Remarks

WEhave already seen that the first group of ordinary Bats includes two sets of species, one characterised generally by the possession of dermal complications of the muzzle, the other by the absence of any such arrangements; and in like manner the second alliance has also its simple-nosed andleaf-nosed forms. Of course, the presence or absence of the nose-leaf can only be regarded as a secondary character; and we have had occasion to show that its mere existence is not sufficient to overrule other important structural peculiarities (as in the generaNyctophilusamong theVespertilionidæandRhinopomaamong theEmballonuridæ), but in conjunction with such characters it must be regarded as of great value, especially since its development would seem to be associated, as already pointed out, with that wonderful acuteness of the tactile sense which seems to guide the Bats in their nocturnal wanderings.

In thePhyllostomidæ, or Leaf-nosed Emballonurine Bats, this is strikingly the case, and the family may be regarded as an especially well-marked group, distinguished from all other Bats (except the genusMystacina) by the presence of three distinct phalanges in the middle finger. Of these joints the first is short, and bent up in repose along the upper surface of the metacarpal bone, in the manner characteristic of the Bats of this division. The nasal appendages are sometimes rudimentary, but generally exhibit a structure more or less resembling that characteristic of the Horseshoe Bats, the nostrils opening in the fissure between the front-piece, or horseshoe, and true nose-leaf; and the chin is furnished with warts, or erect ridges of skin, reminding us of the same parts in the genusNoctilio, which certainly forms a sort of transition between theEmballonuridæandPhyllostomidæ. Another character which seems at once to distinguish these Leaf-nosed Bats from those of the first division is the complete development of the intermaxillary bones, which in theRhinolophidæandNycteridæare rudimentary, or represented by mere cartilages. The dentition varies very considerably in this family, but in all the species the canines are large and acute, and the molar teeth show either the usual W-shaped cusps, or a sharp, cutting edge, like that found in some carnivorous mammals.

SKULL OF JAVELIN BAT.

ThePhyllostomidæare entirely confined to the warmer parts of America. Several of them are of considerable size. The food of some consists of insects; others find their nourishment in fruits; and a good many appear to have the habit of sucking the blood of other animals—an evil practice which has been erroneously ascribed to the species generally, causing them, under the name of Vampires, to be regarded as most formidable animals. As many of the accounts of the blood-sucking propensities of these Bats give no definite clue to the species referred to, and the number of species which seek this form of nourishment, habitually or occasionally, is very doubtful, it may be as well to give a general statement on the subject in this place.

The earliest accounts of the natural history of America contain references to these animals, with a probably somewhat exaggerated statement of the fatal effects of their attacks upon men and animals. Peter Martyr declares that the Bats suck the blood of men and animals while they are asleep, exhausting them to such an extent as to cause death. Piso, Father Jumilla, Don Antonio de Ulloa and many other writers, express themselves in similar terms, and generally agree in representing the consequences of the bites as very serious.

La Condamine, who travelled in South America in the early part of the last century, confirms the above statements as to these Bats, which, he says, attack man, and even destroy animals. He ascertained that they suck the blood of Horses and Mules, and stated that they had in some places destroyed the cattle introduced by the missionaries.

Azara, in his natural history of the quadrupeds of Paraguay, describes the blood-sucking habits of a species which has been referred to the genusStenoderma. He says:—“I have seen a great number; they were all constantly identical among themselves, but differ from all other Bats in that, when put on the ground, they run nearly as fast as a Rat, and they like to suck blood. Sometimes they bite the combs and wattles of sleeping fowls, and suck their blood, in consequence of which the fowls die, because the wounds mortify. They also bite Horses, Mules, Asses, and horned cattle, usually on the rump, the shoulders, or the neck, because in these parts they find it convenient to cling to the mane or the tail. Lastly, man is not free from their attacks; and upon this point I can give certain testimony, seeing that they have bitten me four times in the tips of my great toes, when I was sleeping in the open country in huts. The wounds they made without my feeling them were circular or elliptical, from a line to a line and a half in diameter, but so shallow that they did not entirely penetrate my skin, and it could be seen that they were made by removing a small piece, and not by piercing, as might be supposed. Besides the blood which they sucked, I reckon that what flowed away might be half an ounce when I lost most by their attack; but as the effusion in the case of horses and cattle is about three ounces, and the skin of these animals is very thick, it is to be supposed that the wounds are larger and deeper. This blood comes neither from the veins nor from the arteries, seeing that the wound does not extend to them, but from the capillary vessels of the skin, from which the Bats, no doubt, draw it by sucking and licking. Although my wounds were painful for several days, they were of so little consequence that I did not apply any remedy to them.”

These statements of Azara’s reduce the affair to rather more moderate dimensions than would appear to belong to them from the exaggerated statements of the older writers, which can only be accepted with some allowance for the love of the marvellous inherent in those who have strange things to tell of new countries. But even these less extravagant accounts of the Vampires of South America were regarded in Europe with some feeling of scepticism; and Mr. Darwin appears to have been one of the first reliable naturalists to observe the act of blood-sucking on the part of a Bat of this family, belonging to the genusDesmodus. He says (“Journal,” p. 25):—

“The Vampire Bat is often the cause of much trouble, by biting the Horses on their withers. The injury is generally not so much owing to the loss of blood, as to the inflammation which the pressure of the saddle afterwards produces. The whole circumstance has lately been doubted in England; I was therefore fortunate in being present when one was actually caught on a Horse’s back. We were bivouacking late one evening near Coquimbo, in Chili, when my servant, noticing that one of the Horses was very restive, went to see what was the matter, and fancying he could distinguish something, suddenly put his hand on the beast’s withers, and secured the Vampire. In the morning, the spot where the bite had been inflicted was easily distinguished, from being slightly swollen and bloody. The third day afterwards we rode the Horse without any ill effects.”

Tschudi, who travelled in Peru, and wrote on the natural history of that country, gives an account of his experience in the matter of Bat-bites. According to him, the blood which the Vampires draw from the wounds inflicted by them on cattle and horses is not more than an ounce or two, but the wound continues to bleed freely for some time; and it is not uncommon in the morning to find the animals attacked in a deplorable state, and bathed in their own blood. He mentions the case of an Indian who went to sleep when intoxicated, and was bitten in the face by a Vampire. The wound, which was small, and apparently of little consequence, was followed by an inflammation and swelling so great that the man’s features became quite unrecognisable. In all probability, the condition of his blood after his debauch may have had a good deal to do with the severity of the after-effects of the wound.

Mr. Bates, who during his travels on the Amazon was once wounded in the hip, probably by a Bat, which he describes as a small dark-grey Phyllostome streaked with white down the back, states that it is only a few persons who are subject to be so attacked. His friend Mr. Wallace seems to have had a larger experience in this respect. He ascribes the mischievous propensity to the great Javelin Bat (Phyllostoma hastatum), of which he says:—

“This is a common Bat on the Amazon, and is, I believe, the one which does much injury to horses and cattle, by sucking their blood; it also attacks men, when it has opportunity. The species of blood-sucking Bats seem to be numerous in the interior. They do not inhabit houses, like many of the frugivorous Bats, but enter at dusk through any aperture they may find. They generally attack the tip of the toe, or sometimes any other part of the body that may be exposed. I have myself been twice bitten, once on the toe, and the other time on the tip of the nose; in neither case did I feel anything, but awoke after the operation was completed. In what way they effect it is still quite unknown. The wound is a small round hole, the bleeding of which it is very difficult to stop. It can hardly be a bite, as that would wake the sleeper; it seems most probable that it is either a succession of gentle scratches with the sharp edge of the teeth, gradually wearing away the skin, or a triturating with thepoint of the tongue, till the same effect is produced. My brother was frequently bitten by them, and his opinion was that the Bat applied one of its long canine teeth to the part, and then flew round and round on that as a centre, till the tooth, acting as an awl, bored a small hole, the wings of the Bat serving, at the same time, to fan the patient into a deeper slumber. He several times awoke while the Bat was at work, and though of course the creature immediately flew away, it was his impression that the operation was conducted in the manner above described. Many persons are particularly annoyed by Bats, while others are free from their attacks. An old mulatto at Guia, on the Upper Rio Negro, was bitten almost every night, and though there were frequently half a dozen other persons in the room, he would be the party favoured by their attentions. Once he came to us with a doleful countenance, telling us he thought the Bats meant to eat him up quite, for having covered up his hands and feet in a blanket, they had descended beneath his hammock of open network, and attacking the most prominent part of his person, had bitten him through a hole in his trousers! We could not help laughing at the catastrophe, but to him it was no laughing matter.

“Senhor Brãndão, of Manaquery, informed me that he had once an Indian girl in his house, who was much subject to the attacks of the Bats. She was at length so much weakened by the loss of blood that fears were entertained of her life, if they continued their attacks, and it was found necessary to send her to a distance, where these bloodthirsty animals did not abound.

“The wound made by them is very difficult to heal, especially in its usual locality—the tip of the great toe—as it generally renders a shoe unbearable for a day or two, and forces me to the conclusion that, after the first time, for the curiosity of the thing, to be bitten by a Bat is very disagreeable. They will, however, very rarely enter a lighted room, and for this reason the practice of burning a lamp all night is almost universal.”

In the island of Muciana, situated in the mouth of the Amazon River, Mr. Wallace had an opportunity of observing the mischief done by these blood-sucking Bats on a large scale. The island is used as a grazing-ground, but some of the horses and cattle on it, says Mr. Wallace, were “miserable-looking objects, from wounds inflicted by the Bats, which cause them to lose much blood, and sometimes, by successive attacks, kill them. Senhor Leonardo informed us that they particularly abounded in some parts of the island, and that he often has Bat-hunts, when several thousands are killed.” Mr. Wallace describes the criminal in this locality as a large coffee-brown Bat, probably thePhyllostoma, hastatum. He adds that they “live in holes of trees, where they are killed in considerable numbers, Senhor Leonardo informing me that they had destroyed about seven thousand during the last six months. Many hundreds of cattle are said to have been killed by them in a few years.”

Mr. Louis Fraser, when collecting at Gualaguzia, in Ecuador, obtained a specimen of the Javelin Bat, and was told by the Indian who brought it to him that this species attacks the Mules.

Prince Maximilian of Neuwied also lays the crime of blood-sucking at the door of the Javelin Bat. He says:—“In its stomach I found remains of different kinds of insects, but never any traces of blood that had been swallowed; nevertheless, it is certain that this and many other species of Phyllostomes suck the blood of animals. I have never surprised such a Bat at the moment of sucking, but have observed in the moonshine and twilight how these large animals fluttered, with strongly rustling wings, about our grazing beasts of burthen, which bore their vicinity quietly, but on the following morning were covered with blood, from the shoulders down to the hoofs. On the Rio das Contas we found the cattle quite exhausted with the loss of blood.” The same author adds:—“As I have never found blood in the stomachs of the Phyllostomes, this nutriment can only be partaken of by them rarely, and for this reason I do not venture to decide whether some, or all, or what species of them are fond of this food; but with regard to thelargestspecies here described, it needs no further confirmation, and I believe that of all the Phyllostomes described by me, it is nearly the only one that sucks blood.”

MOUTH OF SPECTACLED STENODERM.

It will be seen from the foregoing statements that there is some uncertainty as to the precise species which may justly be charged with the crime of blood-sucking. The habit has been ascribed to various species, some of which are now known to feed upon fruits, whilst others find their nourishment in the abundant insect population of tropical America; and in the opinion of many zoologists of the present day, the sole criminals are the species of the genusDesmodus, a small aberrant group, specially distinguished from all the rest by the structure of their teeth and stomach. Mr. Tomes, in commentingon Mr. Fraser’s statement, suggests that the blood-sucking was performed by the Desmodonts, which accompanied the Javelin Bat in Mr. Fraser’s collection, and the guilt transferred to the larger and more striking species; and the same explanation may apply to the accounts given by Mr. Wallace and Prince Maximilian, both of whom apparently charge the Javelin Bat with sanguinivorous proclivities solely upon circumstantial evidence. If this be the case,Phyllostoma hastatummust be regarded as a very unfortunate animal. Professor Reinhardt agrees with Mr. Tomes in considering the Desmodonts (DesmodusandDiphylla) the only blood-sucking Bats, and they appear to be the only forms that have been actually taken in the fact.

At the same time we are perhaps hardly justified in passing a verdict of not guilty in the case of some of the other species, for certain observers record the finding of blood in the stomach, and by others the structure of the mouth is looked upon as furnishing circumstantial evidence of sanguinary propensities. Thus Professor Bell says that the tongue in the genusPhyllostomahas a number of wart-like elevations, so arranged as to form a complete circular suctorial disc when they are brought into contact at their sides, which is effected by a set of muscular fibres having a tendon attached to each of the warts. By means of this curious sucker, he adds, these Bats are enabled to suck the blood of animals and the juice of succulent fruits. According to other writers the papillæ which are borne by the lips (seefigure), and which seem to have some analogy with the wrinkles occurring on the lips of the Mastiff Bats, serve this same office; and Prince Maximilian especially describes the mode in which the lips in the Javelin Bat may be converted into a sucking-canal. It is to be observed, however, that these papillae are greatly developed in species which are now known to derive the whole or the greater part of their nourishment from fruits.

HEAD OF BLAINVILLE’S BAT.(After Peters.)

A most grotesque species of Bat, the position of which has been a subject of some discussion, as it seems to be almost equally related to theEmballonuridæon the one hand, and to thePhyllostomidæon the other, was described many years ago (in 1821) by the late Dr. Leach under the name ofMormops Blainvillii. As regards the development of the cutaneous system about the face, this species is without exception themost extraordinary species of the whole order (seefigure). The skull itself is of curious structure, the cranial portion, or that containing the brain, being so much elevated, that its height is nearly equal to the whole length of the skull, and its front wall descends in such a manner as to form nearly a right angle with the bones of the face (seefigure). The superficial structures belonging to the face and head are so complicated as almost to defy description, and so grotesque that one might recommend their study to the inventors of demon-masks for pantomimic purposes. The ears are of considerable size, and have their margins notched in several places; they sweep round on the cheek, to terminate at a short distance from the angle of the mouth, and have their inner margins joined by a fold of membrane. The tragus is a thick, more or less lobulated organ. The nostrils are round apertures in the extremity of the snout, their margins are raised and naked, and produced above into small lobes. Between the nostrils there is a perpendicular ridge, and above this a small round papilla on each side of which there is an irregular kidney-shaped elevation. Behind these parts comes a large fold of skin, deeply notched in the middle above, which joins on each side with the middle of the membrane uniting the ears, and probably represents the hinder nose-leaf in some other Bats. The lower lip consists of two leaves, the upper of which forms in the chin a large shield-shaped, warty plate, beneath which the lower leaf and the skin of the throat form a complicated series of lobes.

SKULL (Natural Size) AND DENTITION(Enlarged) OF BLAINVILLE’S BAT.

The teeth in this Bat consist of four incisors and a pair of strong canines in each jaw, two pre-molars in the upper and three in the lower jaw, and three molars, with more or less distinct W-shaped cusps on each side in both jaws (dental formula—incisors,44canines,1–11–1, pre-molars,2–33–3, molars,3–33–3). The wings are well developed, long, and broad, and the membranes descend to theankles (seefigure); the first phalanx of the middle finger is very short. The interfemoral membrane is ample, and stretched by two very long heel-spurs; it is perforated before the middle for the passage of the tail, about one-third of which projects on the upper surface of the membrane.

The length of the head and body in this species is about two inches and two-thirds, and that of the tail from one inch to one inch and one-sixth, according to the sex, being longer in the male. The fur of the upper side is of a rich umber-brown, and that of the lower surface brownish-grey, the difference being caused by the brown tips of the hairs above, which are wanting on those of the under side. The hairs on the inner margin of the ear are shiny brown. The membranes are dark-brown. This species is an inhabitant of South America and of the West Indies, but it does not seem to be very abundant. Nothing has been recorded as to its habits, but it is probably a strictly nocturnal Bat.

BLAINVILLE’S BAT. (After Peters.)

Blainville’s Bat is the type of a small group ofPhyllostomidæ, which, as already indicated, form a sort of transition towards the more normalEmballonuridæ, the line of relationship probably passing through theNoctiliones. This group (Mormopes, Peters;Lobostominæ, Dobson) is characterised by its terminal nostrils, and the cutaneous folds or ridges on the chin.

This is another species of theMormopsgroup, but very much less remarkable in its characters. It has pointed ears, with an elongated tragus. The hinder nasal appendage, which is so large in Blainville’s Bat, here forms merely a sort of transverse pad across the middle of the muzzle, and the nostrils are pierced in the middle of the upper part of a naked piece, which rises directly from the upper lip. The lower lip is warty, but the warty portion gradually passes into the other part of the lip, and below it there is a thin fold of skin. The skull is considerably longer than high; and while the teeth are present in the same number as inMormops, the second premolar in the lower jaw is small, and removed inwards from the line of the series of teeth.

HEAD OF OWL-FACED BAT.(FromGosse’s “Jamaica.”)

The Owl-faced Bat is a small species, the head and body measuring only two inches. The tail is an inch long, and about a fifth of it projects from the upper surface of the interfemoral membrane, which is expanded by a pair of very long spurs. The expanse of wing is nearly twelve inches, which is very great for so small a Bat. The body is covered with a short, soft fur, of a brownish-grey colour above, and pale-grey beneath; the membranes are black.

The Owl-faced Bat was originally obtained from Cuba, but it has since been captured in St. Domingo and Jamaica, and may probably occur elsewhere in the West Indies, or on the continental part of Central America. Mr. Gosse, when in Jamaica, captured a specimen which flew in at an open window, but did not allow itself to be taken until after a very tedious pursuit, in which it manifested great agility on the wing. He says that “in captivity it uttered once or twice, very slightly, the peculiar short sound resembling theclickingof some delicate piece of machinery, which every one who is familiar with living Bats will remember as common to most of these animals. It was very active, leaping up to flight from the table, and expanding the wings in a moment, though confined within a candle-shade. It bit fiercely at the hand that held it, but could not draw blood from the fingers. It usually carried the apical half of the interfemoral bent upward at the point where it ceases to embrace the tail, so that the tail seems to extend beyond the membrane. It is thus held by the calcanea, the tips of which, curving downward, carry down again the tip of the membrane, puckered into minute plicæ.”

Another species of this genus,Chilonycteris Parnellii, inhabits Cuba and Jamaica, and two others,C. personataandC. rubiginosa, occur in Brazil, and extend thence to Central America.

Another allied form is Davy’s Bat (Pteronotus Davyii), which is remarkable for having the wings attached along the course of the spine, as in the Pteropid generaCephalotesandNotopteris(seepp. 277,278).

In the genusPhyllostomathe nasal appendages are well developed; there is a distinct horseshoe-shaped piece in front, and above the nostrils rises a large lance-shaped leaf. The middle of the lower lip shows a triangular naked patch with warty margins. The ears are of moderate length and quite separate; the tail is much shorter than the interfemoral membrane; and the first phalanx of the middle finger is less than half the length of the metacarpal bone. There are, as usual in this family, four incisors in each jaw; the canines are large and powerful, and the lower jaw has only two premolars on each side. The true molars are well developed, and show strong W-shaped cusps.

HEAD OF JAVELIN BAT.

The Javelin Bat, which lives in all parts of tropical America, and also occurs in the West Indies, is a large species, measuring more than five inches in total length, and nearly twenty-three inches in expanse of wing. Its fur is usually of a uniform brown colour; its ears of moderate size, somewhat pointed, strongly excavated on the outside below the apex, and with a lance-shaped tragus; the short tail extends about one-third of the length of the interfemoral membrane, which is stretched straight across between the long heel-spurs.

We have already referred at some length to the habits of this species in connection with the charge of blood-sucking that has been brought against it, and stated that when examined only remains of insects are found in its stomach. It is described as having a lofty and powerful, although not rapid flight. These Bats frequently make their way into rooms through the open windows, when they fly about rather noisily. In the neighbourhood of houses they sleep during the day among the leaf-stalks of the cocoa-nut palms; in the open country they resort to the hollow trunks of trees.

Numerous species nearly allied to this occur in Brazil and other parts of America, such asPhyllostoma discolorandelongatum,Mimon Bennettiiandmegalotis, in which the chin bears two warts separated by a furrow;Tylostoma Childreniandcrenulatum, with only two lower incisors;Carollia brevicauda, in which the middle of the horseshoe is scarcely distinct from the upper lip;Rhinophylla pumilio, in which the tail is entirely wanting; andPhylloderma stenopswith three instead of two premolars on each side in the lower jaw.

The genusVampyrusdiffers fromPhyllostomaand its allies (except the last) by the presence of three premolars on each side in the lower jaw. The lower lip has two broad warts separated by a furrow; the ears are large and separate; the first joint of the middle finger is more than half as long as the metacarpal bone; and the tail is altogether wanting. The nasal appendage has the horseshoe part well developed, with the margin free and quite distinct from the upper lip.

HEAD OF VAMPIRE BAT.

The Vampire, which was one of the earliest known species of these American Bats, and is also the largest of all, is by no means an amiable-looking animal. Its head is considerably elongated; the nose-leaf is long and pointed; the wings reach the base of the outer toe, and the middle of the hinder margin of the interfemoral membrane projects in a little point, although, as already stated, there is no tail to cause any such projection. The fur, which is long and soft, is usually chestnut-brown above and pale beneath. The length of the head and body in this Bat is about five and a half inches. Fromvarious considerations, no doubt in part from its large size and ugliness, this Bat has always been regarded as one of the most noxious of the blood-suckers of its family, and, in fact, it owes its name of Vampire to the belief in its sanguinary nature. But Mr. Bates, who certainly had good opportunities of observing it, acquits the Vampire of this charge. In describing his residence at Ega, on the Upper Amazon, he says:—“The Vampire was here by far the most abundant of the family of Leaf-nosed Bats. It is the largest of all the South American species, measuring twenty-eight inches in expanse of wing. Nothing in animal physiognomy can be more hideous than the countenance of this creature when viewed from the front; the large leathery ears standing out from the sides and top of the head, the erect spear-shaped appendage on the tip of the nose, the grin, and the glistening black eye, all combining to make up a figure that reminds one of some mocking imp of fable. No wonder that imaginative people have inferred diabolical instincts on the part of so ugly an animal. The Vampire, however, is the most harmless of all Bats, and its inoffensive character is well known to residents on the banks of the Amazons. I found two distinct species of it, one having the fur of a blackish colour, the other of a ruddy hue, and ascertained that both feed chiefly on fruits. The church at Ega was the head-quarters of both kinds. I used to see them, as I sat at my door during the short evening twilight, trooping forth by scores from a large open window at the back of the altar, twittering cheerfully as they sped off to the borders of the forest. They sometimes enter houses. The first time I saw one in my chamber, wheeling heavily round and round, I mistook it for a Pigeon, thinking that a tame one had escaped from the premises of one of my neighbours. I opened the stomachs of several of these Bats, and found them to contain a mass of pulp and seeds of fruits, mingled with a few remains of insects. The natives say they devour ripe cajús and guavas on trees in the gardens; but, on comparing the seeds taken from their stomachs with those of all cultivated trees at Ega, I found they were unlike any of them; it is therefore probable that they generally resort to the forest to feed, coming to the village in the morning to sleep, because they find it more secure from animals of prey than their natural abodes, in the woods.”

The two forms referred to by Mr. Bates in the above extract were probably only colour varieties ofVampyrus spectrum, but several nearly related species occur in tropical America. Thus,Chrotopterus auritusdiffers from the preceding only in having a short tail like that ofPhyllostoma, and the second lower premolar small, and placed within the line of the teeth;Lophostoma sylvicola,amblyotis, andbidens, all from Brazil, have the second lower premolar small, but in the row, the horseshoe only developed at the sides, the lower lip as inPhyllostoma, the first phalanx of the middle finger a little shorter than the metacarpal, and only two incisors in the lower jaw;Schizostoma minutum,elongatum, andBehnii, whilst agreeing withLophostomain the proportion of the first phalanx of the middle finger, have the horseshoe and lower lip as inVampyrus; andTrachyops cirrhosushas the lower margin of the horseshoe indistinct, the lower lip with a double row of warts and a deep furrow, and the second lower premolar very small, and placed within the line of the row of teeth. These Bats are all inhabitants of the tropical parts of America.

Neuwied’s Large-leafed Bat (Macrophyllum Neuwiedii) is one of the few species of the present family in which the tail is respectably developed. The ears are of moderate size and separate; the horseshoe is well developed, and the nose-leaf very long, lance-shaped, and pointed. The dentition is as inPhyllostoma. This is a small Bat, measuring only about three inches and one-sixth in total length, of which the tail occupies one inch and one-third. The fur is of a sooty-brown colour, paler beneath; the nose-leaf is darker, and the membranes lighter in colour than the body; the interfemoral membrane has about half a dozen curved lines of small dark points towards its apex. Neuwied’s Bat was discovered by Prince Maximilian in Brazil in the forests of the banks of the Moucouri River. He describes it as not very abundant, and as passing the day clinging to rocks and the trunks of trees. Its stomach contained remains of insects.

The Large-eared Spear-nosed Bat (Lonchorhina aurita), an allied species with a long tail and a very long nose-leaf, is a native of the West Indies. The tail traverses the interfemoral membrane in the fashion of that of a Vespertilionid Bat. The nose-leaf has a distinct rib running up its middle, and at its base there is a deep pit divided into two by a partition on each side of which are the nostrils, and the place of the horseshoe is taken by a curious three-leaved process which stands out in front of the nostrils.

The Great-eared Leaf Bat, an inhabitant of St. Domingo and Jamaica, is the type of a remarkable little genus, characterised by having the ears very large, membranous, and united at the base by a membrane; the nasal appendage erect; the interfemoral membrane large, cut out behind in a broad curve running from the tip of one spur to the other; and the tail long, projecting by its last joint beyond the interfemoral membrane. The head is rather long, and the jaws armed with four incisors in each—the intermediate ones in the upper jaw being larger than the lateral—two premolars in the upper, and three in the lower jaw, and three true molars in each jaw. The species of this genus occur in the West Indies, Mexico, and California.

The Great-eared Leaf Bat (Macrotus Waterhousii) is a small species, the head and body measuring two inches and a half in length, and the tail one inch and one-sixth. Its fur is of a mouse-colour, paler beneath, and the nose-leaf is lance-shaped.

Our knowledge of the habits of this Bat is chiefly derived from observations made in Jamaica by Mr. Gosse and Mr. Osburn. The former says that it is one of the commonest of the Jamaica Chiroptera, and that it is more addicted than any other species to visiting lighted rooms at night. Mr. Osburn obtained it in abundance from caves; and he adds that although it occurs in houses, it there always inhabits the cellars, and is never found in roofs. The great breadth of the wings gives it during flight an appearance of being larger than it really is, and its flight, according to Mr. Gosse, is not so noiseless as in Bats generally, but accompanied by an audible rushing sound. When on the ground, it makes no attempt to crawl, but springs at once into the air, and takes flight as readily as a bird. Mr. Osburn obtained many females with their young, and describes the mode in which the latter adhere to their mothers. He says the nipple was held by the little hooked teeth of the young animal, while the fur, or even the thigh of the opposite side, was grasped by its feet, so that the young Bat lay diagonally across its mother’s belly. The food of the Great-eared Leaf Bat consists for the most part of insects. Mr. Osburn found in the stomach of one a yellowish mass, with fragments of the hard parts of insects, among which were two short legs with strong claws, which probably belonged to some species of Orthoptera.

From one observation it would appear that this Bat is supposed sometimes to feed on fruits. Mr. Osburn says that at Mount Pleasant, St. Ann’s, his attention was called to a number of spirts on the wall in an open verandah, on examining which he says he detected seeds of the fustic berry sticking to the wall. He was informed that they were produced by these Bats, which came in at night, and hitched themselves up, when a chewing might be distinctly heard, and then these splashes on the wall. One let the legs and wings of a large Grasshopper drop. The berries said to be particularly affected by these Bats were those of the fustic (Morus tinctoria), the bread-nut (Brosimum alicastrum), and the rose-apple (Eugenia jambos), all of which are mentioned by Mr. Osburn as favourite articles of food withStenoderma perspicillatum, a true fruit-eating Bat.[239]

HEAD OF SORICINE BAT.

Agreeing with the Phyllostomes and Vampires in the form of the molar teeth, the general form of the muzzle, the presence of a nose-leaf and tragus, and some other characters, theGlossophagæexhibit some striking peculiarities which serve to distinguish them from these and all other Bats. Foremost among these is the structure of the tongue, which is very singular. It is a long, somewhat compressed fleshy cylinder beset with reversed hairs, and capable of being pushed out of the mouth to a considerable distance. In the fresh state, according to Rengger, it has a furrow running along the upper surface, and this, he thought, rendered it specially applicable to the purpose of sucking blood, which was formerly supposedto be a habit of all these Bats. The lower lip is cleft, and the margins of the fissure furnished with warts, a construction which also contributed to raise a suspicion of the sanguinary habits of the animals. The horseshoe-shaped part of the nose-leaf is very imperfectly developed, and the organ consists chiefly of the lance-shaped leaf; there are four incisor teeth in a close row in each jaw, the two middle ones in the upper jaw larger and broader than the others; the upper jaw has two and the lower three premolars on each side, and there are three true molars on each side in both jaws.

The Soricine Bat has received a great number of names; at least, numerous supposed species founded upon slight differences of colour, &c., are regarded by Professor Peters as all referable to the species described by Pallas, in 1766, under the name ofVespertilio soricinus. It is a small Bat about two inches and a quarter long including the tail, which measures about one-sixth of an inch, and is enclosed within the interfemoral membrane. The ears are of moderate size and separate, with small, pointed tragi; and the body is clothed with a rather long, soft, and thick fur, usually of a rusty greyish-brown colour, paler on the lower surface. This Bat inhabits the whole of the warmer part of South America, extending from the Brazilian coast to the Andes, and northwards into Venezuela and Guatemala. It is said to feed chiefly on insects, but probably, like the following species, diversifies its food by eating succulent fruits, this being apparently the purpose for which these animals are endowed with their peculiar tongue.

The genusMonophyllusis nearly allied toGlossophaga, but has the incisor teeth in pairs, and the lower ones exceedingly small. The interfemoral membrane forms a narrow border running up the legs, and crossing from side to side; and the tail, although short, projects beyond the membrane. The teeth are—incisors,2–22–2, canines,1–11–1, premolars,2–23–3, molars,3–33–3. The only known species isRedman’s Bat (Monophyllus Redmanii), in which the head and body measure about two inches and one-sixth in length. The expanse of wing is about twelve inches; the fur, which is thick, soft, and glossy, is greyish-brown above with the tips of the hairs slightly hoary, and dusky grey tipped with greyish-white on the lower surface. The membranes are dark brown. This species occurs in Jamaica and Cuba.

REDMAN’S BAT. (From theProceedings of the Zoological Society.)

It was found by Mr. Osburn at Cairo, in Jamaica. He describes it as exceedingly fierce, drawing blood readily from the back of the hand of its captor. Its activity was beyond anything he had seen in Chiroptera. It ran round the box in which it was placed by a series of little jumps, with almost the quickness of a Mouse, and jumped with the agility of a bird. “On placing it under a glass,” he says, “after its first efforts had a little subsided, I saw its tongue projected very rapidly to the board. It seemed to me to be using an additional sense to ascertain the nature of the unusual substance on which it was resting. It frequently stretched its neck and head upwards, the nose-leaf and round ears in motion, as if trying to ascertain whether there was an aperture above, its bright little eyes piercing with eagerness, and panting like a Mouse.” Mr. Osburn’s observations on the specimens which he had in captivity seem to lead to the conclusion that this Bat feeds on soft fruits, and that its long and peculiar tongue is employed in sucking up their pulp.

Ischnoglossa nivalishas the incisors in pairs and no tail. The described specimen was obtained near the snow line on the Pic d’Orizaba, in Mexico.

The genus to which this Bat belongs is distinguished from all the preceding ones in the group ofGlossophogæby the absence or imperfection of the zygomatic arch in the skull. In its dentition it resemblesGlossophagæ. The interfemoral membrane is merely a narrow border round the legs, and the calcaneal spurs are very short, or altogether wanting. There is a very short tail, which, however, projects beyond the interfemoral membrane; the nose-leaf is extremely short, or, indeed, almost rudimentary; and the tongue is very long, pointed, and armed at the sides towards the tip with acute spines turned backwards. This species was discovered in Cuba; it occurs also in Jamaica.[243]

In the latter island Mr. Osburn found it inhabiting a cave in immense numbers, flying about and swarming on the roof and walls like Bees in a hive. The floor of the cavern was covered with bread-nut kernels and munched berries of the clammy cherry (Cordia collocasia). The Bat chirps and squeaks like a bird.

Mr. Osburn describes its manners in confinement as follows:—At first the Bats were restless and fierce, biting violently. When exhausted and quiet he gave them water, which “they drank eagerly, protruding the tongue—the lip hollowed spoon-shape, and the bristles evidently taking up a great quantity.” The fruit of the clammy cherry being offered to them, they took no notice of it until Mr. Osburn thought of breaking the skin, when the one he presented it to at last seemed to understand the position of affairs, and licked at it vigorously. “The tongue,” says Mr. Osburn,“was rapidly protruded and drawn in again, and the juice and softer pulp cleared away with great rapidity. I noticed that he was very particular in cleaning out the bit of loose skin of the berry, and licked my fingers of the juice spilt on them, carefully cleaning out any that had collected under the nail. The sensation was not at all unpleasant, the tongue feeling soft and spongy, with a slight scratching from the bristles. I then got another berry. The Bat was hanging from the edge of the box, its ventral surface against the side; and as I held the berry a little off, so as to see the action of the tongue, it had, whilst feeding, to bend the neck, so as to raise the head a little. This seemed to fatigue it. It therefore raised itself on one wrist, and turned round, so that its back was against the box’s side; but as it did not change the position of the feet, of course the legs crossed.... In this odd position it seemed perfectly at ease, and went on licking at a fresh berry with great relish.... It seized it with its teeth savagely, and then shifted it to one side of the mouth, so that the long sharp canines of one side and the blunt molars held the berry.... This left room for the tongue still to be protruded; for from the arrangement of the minute lower incisors in a concave, the molars can be nearly closed, so as to hold an object, and the tongue still have room for protrusion. The little body trembled with the eagerness of his actions. As the pulp and juice it could thus reach became exhausted, I expected it would drop it; but, to my surprise, it brought up the wrists to the muzzle, took the berry between them, gave it two or three energetic bites, and then held the berry off. So I now understood what the long thumbs were for; for they applied themselves dexterously to the berry, held it firmly, and then, as it appeared to me, by a reverse action of the two wrists, the berry was turned round, a fresh hold taken by the teeth, and the same licking process renewed, till the seed in the centre was cleaned of the pulp, all but the little bit which served for the last tooth-hold. It was then dropped, and the eager little muzzle raised for more. I supplied another, and soon I had a little heap of seeds, exactly like those found in the cave.” This account is particularly interesting, and gives us a clear idea of the proceedings of these curious Bats. Mr. Osburn remarks that the Bats when holding the berries greatly reminded him of Monkeys, and on placing them among the twigs of the cherry, their climbing habits seem to have increased the resemblance.[244]

A peculiar group of this family is formed by the genusStenodermaand its allies. In these Bats the muzzle is short, and the molar teeth do not show the W-like pattern characteristic of the preceding forms, but generally have some sharp points and a cutting edge on the outside. The tail, when present, is very short, and the interfemoral membrane is deeply cut out behind, so much so in many cases as to form a mere narrow border to the legs. The nasal appendages consist of a lance-shaped leaf springing from the middle of a regular horseshoe; and the ears are separate, and furnished with a tragus. The Stenoderms have been divided by authors into several genera, but the characters upon which these are founded are for the most part so minute and uncertain that it would be a mere waste of time to attempt to give them here.

The Spectacled Stenoderm (seep. 264) is one of the best-known species of this group, and inhabits the larger islands of the West Indies, such as Cuba, St. Domingo, and Jamaica, as well as the continental regions of Guiana and Brazil. It is a large species, measuring from four inches to four inches and a half in length, and from sixteen inches to twenty inches in expanse of wing. Its fur is brown, and there is a whitish arch above each eye. The nose-leaf, although lance-shaped, is somewhat oblong in its form, having the sides nearly parallel for some distance; and the wing-membranes are black. There is no tail. The species belongs to the sub-genusArtibeus.

This species usually inhabits caves and recesses in the rocks, in the former case generally keeping near the mouth of the cave; but when the geological structure of a district is unfavourable for the formation of caves, it takes up its abode during the day under the fronds of the cocoa-nut palm. At Aquatta Vale, in Jamaica, Mr. Osburn found these Bats clustering on the cocoa-nut trees so thickly, and in such numbers, that a single shot brought down twenty-two, while many others flew off, and took refuge in neighbouring trees. The food of this species consists of various fruits, the seeds and kernels of which are seen in abundance on the floors of the places where they repose during the day. Mr. Osburn mentions the bread-nut (Brosimum), the negro-cherry (Cordia callococca), the mango, and the rose-apple (Eugenia jambos), as fruits upon which it feeds in Jamaica. He also obtained from the intestines of several specimens numerous small seeds, which he believed to be those of the fustic (Morus tinctoria). The same observer noticed a curious habit of the species when alarmed—the littleround ears were kept in a state of rapid motion, but alternately, so as to produce an effect like that of a person rolling his eyes different ways. The nose-leaf was also slightly moved.

This is very nearly allied to the preceding species, from which it differs in its smaller size, being only about two inches and a half long, and in the form of the nose-leaf, which is lance-shaped, with regularly curved margins. It varies considerably in colour, but is usually of various shades of brown.

Mr. Gosse observed the habits of this and the preceding Bat in Jamaica, and describes them as exhibiting a special partiality for the fruit of theAchras sapota, called in Jamaica the naseberry, a preference already observed by Mr. A. Ricord in the case of the Spectacled Stenoderm. Mr. Gosse says:—“About a quarter of an hour after the sun has disappeared, and while the western horizon is yet glowing with those effulgent peak-like clouds which only a tropical sunset displays, we discover, by attentively watching the tree, the Bats begin to visit it. First one comes, takes a rapid flight around the tree, darts once or twice through the dense foliage, and winging away is lost in the light of the sky. Another and another comes immediately, and performs the same evolutions; and as the glory of the west fades away to a warm ruddy brown, like the blush of a mulatto girl, many dusky forms are discerned flitting round and round. By carefully following the flight of an individual with the eye, we perceive that now and then he alights for a moment on some object at the extremity of a bunch of leaves; but no sooner has the eye rested on the spot than the sooty wings are again spread, and he is pursuing his giddy course with his fellows. The object of his attention is a ripe naseberry, nestled in the midst of that rosette of leaves. Occasionally the weight of the suspended Bat dislodges the ripe fruit, and it falls to the ground, splitting with the shock. On picking it up, we see that it has been just bitten, not gnawed, as by the rodent incisors of a Mouse, but nibbled in a ragged manner. Though the Vampires often eat the fruit on the tree in this manner, detaching minute morsels, and again and again returning for more, it appears that not seldom they succeed in tearing out a large piece, which they carry away; for fragments of naseberry of considerable size, partly eaten by a Bat, are frequently found at the distance of half a mile from the nearest naseberry tree, dropped on the high road.” Mr. Gosse adds that this Bat also feeds on the rose-apple, and Mr. Osborn describes it as consuming all the same fruits as the preceding species.[247]

The Desmodonts are in some respects among the most remarkable forms of Bats; indeed, their characters are so peculiar that it may be a question whether they ought not to form a distinct family in the order Chiroptera. By some zoologists, indeed, this course has been adopted, but as they agreewith the Phyllostomidæ in the presence of nasal appendages, and in the possession of three phalanges in the middle finger, we have preferred to leave them in that family, at the same time indicating their striking divergences from all its other members.

The dentition in these Bats is most singular, and as we shall see, its peculiarities are so associated with the exceptional habits of the animal, as to have far greater weight in the question of classification than we have accorded to the dental characters in other families. In fact these peculiarities, in combination with certain points of internal anatomy, are so remarkable that Professor Huxley has suggested the formation for the Desmodonts of a distinct group (Hæmatophilina) of the Microchiroptera, which he apparently regards as equivalent in classificational value to all the rest of the sub-order taken together.

The remarkable conformation of the teeth will be easily seen by reference to theannexed figure. The upper incisor teeth, four[249]in number in the young animal, become reduced to two in the adult, but these are of enormous size, prominent, triangular, and very sharp. The lower incisors, on the contrary, are small and have a two-lobed crown. The canines of the upper jaw are nearly of the same form as the incisors, but rather smaller; those of the lower jaw present no remarkable peculiarity. The molar series of teeth, however, are most peculiar—there are two in the upper and three in the lower jaw, but the whole of them are small, compressed, sharp-edged, and furnished with only a single root, thus presenting the characters of premolars, as which, indeed, they are regarded by some writers. If this view of their nature be correct the Desmodonts have no true molars.

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