VESPERTILIO, the BAT; a genus of quadrupeds, belonging to the order of primates. All the teeth are erect, pointed, near each other; and the first four are equal. The fore-feet have the toes connected by a membrane expanded into a kind of wings, by which the creature is enabled to fly. There are many species; of which the most remarkable are,
1. The vampyrus, vampire, or Ternate bat, with large canine teeth; four cutting teeth above, the same below; sharp black nose; large naked ears; the tongue is pointed, terminated by sharp aculeated papillæ; talons very crooked, strong, and compressed fidewife; no tail: the membrane divided behind quite to the rump: head of a dark ferruginous colour; on the neck, shoulder, and under-side, of a much lighter and brighter red; on the back the hair shorter, dusky, and smooth: the membranes of the wings dusky. They vary in colour; some being entirely of a reddish brown, others dusky.
These monsters inhabit Guinea, Madagascar, and all the islands from thence to the remotest in the Indian Ocean. They fly in flocks, and perfectly obscure the air.
Vespertilio. air with their numbers; they begin their flight from one neighbouring island to another immediately on sunset, and return in clouds from the time it is light till sun-rise. They live on fruits; and are so fond of the juice of the palm-tree, that they will intoxicate themselves with it till they drop on the ground. It is most likely, from the size of their teeth, they are carnivorous. Mr Edwards relates, that they will dip into the sea for fish. They swarm like bees; hanging by one another from the trees in great clusters. The Indians eat them, and declare the flesh to be very good: they grow excessively fat at certain times of the year. The French who live in the Isle de Bourbon, boil them in their bouillon, to give it a relish. The negroes have them in abhorrence. Many are of an enormous size: Beckman measured one, whose extent from tip to tip of the wings was five feet four inches; and Dampier another, which extended further than he could reach with out-stretched arms. Their bodies are from the size of a pullet to that of a dove: their cry is dreadful, their smell rank, their bite, resistance, and fierceness great, when taken.
The ancients had some knowledge of these animals. Herodotus mentions certain winged wild beasts like bats, that molested the Arabs who collected the cassia, to such a degree, that they were obliged to cover their faces, all but their eyes, with skins. It is very probable, as M. de Buffon remarks, it was from such relations that poets formed their fictions of Harpies.
Linnaeus gives this species the title of vampire; conjecturing it to be the kind which draws blood from people in their sleep. M. de Buffon denies it; ascribing that faculty only to a species found in South America. But there is reason to imagine that this thirst after blood is not confined to the bats of one continent, nor to one species: for Bontius and Nieuhoff informs us, that the bats of Java seldom fail attacking persons who lie with their feet uncovered, whenever they can get access; and Gumilla, after mentioning a greater and lesser species found on the banks of the Orinoco, declares them to be equally greedy after human blood. Persons thus attacked have been known to be near passing from a sound sleep into eternity. The bat is so dexterous a bleeder, as to insinuate its aculeated tongue into a vein without being perceived, and then suck the blood till it is fatiated; all the while fanning with its wings, and agitating the air in that hot climate in so pleasing a manner, as to fling the sufferer into a still sounder sleep. It is therefore very unsafe to rest either in the open air, or to leave open any entrance to these dangerous animals: but they do not confine themselves to human blood; for M. Condamine says, that in certain parts of America they have destroyed all the great cattle introduced there by the missionaries.
2. The ipsctum, or spectre, with a long nose; large teeth; long, broad, and upright ears; at the end of the nose a long conic erect membrane, bending at the end, and flexible: hair on the body cinereous, and pretty long: wings full of ramified fibres: the membrane extends from hind leg to hind leg; no tail; but from the rump extend three tendons, terminating at the edge of the membrane. By Seba's figure the extent of the wings are two feet two inches; from the end of the nose to the rump, seven inches and an half.
Inhabits South America; lives in the palm-trees;
grows very fat; called vampire by M. de Buffon, who supposes it to be the species that sucks human blood: but neither Piso, nor any other writer who mentions the fact, gives the least description of the kind.
3. The Peruvian bat hath a head like a pug-dog; large straight-pointed ears; two canine teeth, and two small cutting teeth between each, in each jaw: the tail is inclosed in the membrane which joins to each hind-leg, and is also supported by two long cartilaginous ligaments involved in the membrane: colour of the fur, iron grey: body equal to that of a middle-sized rat: extent of wings two feet five inches.
4. The noctule hath the nose slightly bilobated; ears small and rounded; on the chin a minute verruca; hair reddish ash-colour: length of the rump two inches eight-tenths; tail one inch seven-tenths; extent of wings 13 inches. Inhabits Great Britain and France; flies high in search of food, not skimming near the ground. A gentleman informed Mr Pennant of the following fact relating to those animals, which he was witness to: That he saw taken under the eaves of Queen's College, Cambridge, in one night, 185; the second night, 63; the third night, 2; and that each that was measured had 15 inches extent of wings.
Bats appear abroad in this country early in the spring; sometimes they are tempted by a warm day to fly out in the winter. They fly in the evenings, and live on moths and other nocturnal insects. They fly by jerks, not with the regular motion of birds, for which the ancients mistook them. They frequent glades and shady places: will go into larders, and gnaw any meat they find. They bring two young at a time, which they suckle at their breast. They retire at the end of summer into caves, the eaves of houses, and into ruined buildings, in vast multitudes, where they generally remain torpid, suspended by the hind-legs, enveloped in their wings. They are the prey of owls. Their voice is weak. Ovid takes notice both of that and the origin of the Latin name:
Minimam pro corpore vocem
Emitunt; peraguntque leves stridere querelas.
Tetigisse, non sylvas celebrant; lucemque perosa
Nocte volant: seroque trahunt a vespere nomen.