M. de la Borde says, there are two kinds of the Peccari, or Mexican
hog, in Cayenne, which never intermix; the largest of which is black,
excepting two white spots upon its jaws, and that the hair of the small
one is rather red; but I apprehend the differences are occasioned by
age, or some accidental circumstance. He adds, that those of the large
size do not associate with men; but that they live in the woods, upon
seeds, roots, and fruits; that they dig in the damp soils for worms,
and that they go in flocks of two or three hundred. It is no difficult
matter to shoot them, as, instead of flying, they collect together,
and will stand several discharges; nay, they will even attack the
dogs, and sometimes men. He mentions an instance where he was out with
a party that were surrounded by a flock of these hogs, who were not
to be intimidated by a continual firing, and could not be dispersed
until several of them were killed. When taken young, they are soon
rendered familiar, but they will not intermix with the domestic hogs.
When living in their natural state of freedom, they often reside in the
marshes, and will swim across rivers. Their flesh, though palatable, is
not so good as the common hog; it has a strong resemblance to that of
the hare, and is without lard or grease.
M. de la Borde speaks of another species of hog found in Guiana, which
he calls _patira_, in these terms: "The patira is about the size of the
small Mexican hog, and the only difference is the former having a white
stripe along the back; they live in large forests, and, in general,
herd in families. They will defend themselves against dogs, when hunted
by them: when likely to be overpowered, they seek shelter in hollow
trees, or in holes of the earth, that have been made by armadilloes,
which they entered backwards. To get them out, the hunters employ every
means to irritate them, (having first inclosed a space round the hole)
for when angry they will quit their retreat, and the men, standing
prepared, destroy them with pitchforks and sabres. If a hunter observes
a single one in a hole, and does not then wish to take it, he closes
up the entrance, and is sure to have him the next day. Their flesh
is superior to that of other hogs. When caught young they are easily
rendered domestic, but even then they preserve their natural inveteracy
against dogs, whom they attack on all occasions. They constantly live
in the marshes, unless when entirely covered with water. The females
produce two at a time, and they breed at all seasons of the year. Their
hair is soft, like that of the Mexican hog. When tamed they follow
their masters, and allow themselves to be handled by those they know,
but strangers they always threaten by shewing their teeth."
THE ROUSETTE, OR TERNAT BAT, THE ROUGETTE, OR LITTLE TERNAT, AND THE
VAMPYRE.
The Roussette[W] and the Rougette[X] seem to form two distinct species,
but they so nearly resemble each other that they ought not to be
presented apart, as they differ only in the size of the body and colour
of the hair. The Great Ternat, (_fig. 117._) whose hair is of a reddish
brown, is nine inches in length, from the tip of the nose to the
insertion of the tail, and in breadth three feet, when the membranes,
which serve it for wings, are fully extended. The Rougette, whose hair
is of a reddish ash colour, is hardly more than five inches and a half
in length, and two feet in breadth, when the wings are extended; and
its neck is half encircled with a stripe of lively red, intermixed with
orange, of which we perceive no vestige on the neck of the roussette.
They both belong to nearly the same hot climates of the old continent,
are met with in Madagascar, in the island of Bourbon, in Ternat, the
Philippines, and other islands of the Indian Archipelago, where they
seem to be more common than on the neighbouring continents.
[Footnote W: Also called the Flying Dog, and the Great Bat of
Madagascar.]
[Footnote X: Or the Red-necked Flying Dog.]
In the hot countries of the New World, there is another flying
quadruped, of which we know not the American name, but shall call it
Vampyre, because it sucks the blood of men, and other animals while
asleep, without causing sufficient pain to awaken them. This American
animal is of a different species from the bats just mentioned, both of
which are to be found solely in Africa, and in the southern parts of
Asia.
_Engraved for Barr's Buffon._
[Illustration: FIG. 117. _Ternat Bat._]
[Illustration: FIG. 118. _Bull Dog Bat_]
[Illustration: FIG: 119. _Senegal Bat_]
The vampyre[Y] is smaller than the rougette, which is itself smaller
than the roussette. The first, when it flies, seems to be of the
size of a pigeon, the second of a raven, and the third of a large
hen. Both the roussette and rougette have well shaped heads, short
ears, and round noses, nearly like that of a dog. Of the vampyre, on
the contrary, the nose is long, the aspect as hideous as that of the
ugliest bats; its head is unshapely, and its ears are large, open, and
very erect; its noise is deformed, its nostrils resembling a funnel,
with a membrane at the top, which rises up in the form of a sharp horn,
or cock's-comb, and greatly heightens the deformity of its face. There
is no doubt, therefore, that this species is different from the Ternat
bats. It is an animal not less mischievous than it is deformed; it is
the pest of man, and the torment of other animals. In confirmation of
this, the authentic testimony of M. de la Condamine may be produced.
"The bats," says he, "which suck the blood of horses, mules, and even
men, when they do guard against it by sleeping under the shelter
of a pavilion, are a scourge common to most of the hot countries of
America. Of these some are of a monstrous size. At Borja, and several
other places, they have entirely destroyed the large cattle which the
missionaries had brought thither, and which had begun to multiply."
These facts are confirmed by many other historians and travellers.
Petrus Martyr, who wrote not long after the conquest of South America,
says, that there are bats in the isthmus of Darien which suck the blood
of men and animals while they are asleep, so as to much weaken, and
frequently kill them. Jumilla, Don George Juan, and Don Ant. de Ulloa,
assert the same. Though from the above testimonies it appears that
these blood-sucking bats are numerous, particularly in South America,
yet we have not been able to obtain a single individual. Seba has
presented us with a figure and description of this animal, of which the
nose is so extraordinary, that I am astonished travellers should not
have remarked a deformity so palpable as to strike the most superficial
beholder; possibly the animal of which Seba gives the figure, is not
the same with that which we distinguish by the name of the vampyre, or
blood-sucker; It is also possible, that this figure of Seba's is false
or exaggerated, or at least that this deformed nose is only a monstrous
accidental variety; though of these deformities there may be found
permanent examples in some other species of bats. By time alone will
these obscurities be removed.
[Footnote Y: An American animal called the Great American Bat, or
Flying Dog of New Spain.]
Both the roussette and rougette are in the cabinet of the King of
France; and it is to the island of Bourbon that we are indebted
for them. They belong exclusively to the Old Continent; and in no
part either of Africa or Asia are they so numerous as the vampyre
is in America. These animals are larger, stronger, and perhaps more
mischievous than the vampyre. But it is by open force, and in the day
as well as night, that they commit hostilities. Fowls and small birds
are the objects of their destructive fury; they even attack men, and
wound their faces; but no traveller has accused them of sucking the
blood of men and animals while asleep.
The ancients had but an imperfect knowledge of these winged quadrupeds,
which may, indeed, be termed monsters; and it is probable, that from
those whimsical models of Nature, they received the idea of harpies.
The wings, the teeth, the claws, the cruelty, the voracity; the
nastiness, and all the destructive qualities, and noxious faculties of
the harpies, bear no small resemblance to those of the Ternat bat.
Herodotus seems to have denoted them, when he mentions that there were
large bats which greatly incommoded the men employed in collecting
cassia round the marshes of Asia, and that, to shield themselves from
the dangerous bites of these animals, they were obliged to cover
the body and face with leather. Strabo speaks of very large bats in
Mesopotamia, whose flesh was palatable. Among the moderns, these
large bats have been mentioned, though in vague terms, by Albertus,
Isidorus, and Scaliger. With more precision have they been treated of
by Linscot, Nicholas Matthias, and Francis Pyrard; Oliger Jacobeus has
given a short description of them with a figure; and lastly, in Seba,
and in Edwards, we find well-executed description and figures, which
correspond with our own.
The Ternat bats are carnivorous animals, voracious, and possessed of
an appetite for every thing that offers. In a dearth of flesh or fish,
they feed on vegetables and fruits of every kind. They are fond of
the juice of the palm-tree, and it is easy to take them by placing
near their retreats vessels filled with palm-tree water, or any other
fermented liquor, with which they are sure to intoxicate themselves.
They fasten themselves to trees, and hang from them by their claws.
They usually fly in flocks, and more by night than by day. Places
which are much frequented they shun, and their favourite residence is
uninhabited islands. To copulation they are strongly inclined. In the
male the sex is very apparent, and not concealed in a scabbard, like
that of quadrupeds, but extends forwards from the body, nearly as it
does in the ape. In the female the sex is equally conspicuous; she
has but two nipples, and those situated upon the breast; she produces
more than once a year, but the number at each time is but small. Their
flesh, when young, is not unpalatable; the Indians[Z] are fond of it,
and compare its flavour to that of the partridge or the rabbit.
[Footnote Z: The Moors and Malayans are most certainly meant, as the
Indians neither eat nor kill any animal. Lett. M. La Nux.]
The American travellers unanimously agree, that the great bats of the
new continent suck the blood both of men and animals while they are
asleep, and without awakening them. Of this singular fact, no mention
is made by any of the Asiatic or African travellers, who speak of the
Ternat bats. Their silence, nevertheless, is no adequate proof of their
being guiltless, especially as they have so many other resemblances
to those great bats, which we denominated vampyres. I have, therefore,
thought it worth while to examine how it is possible that these animals
should suck the blood of a person asleep, without causing a pain
so sensible as to awake him. Were they to cut the flesh with their
teeth, which are as large as those of other quadrupeds of the same
size, the pain of the bite would effectually rouse any of the human
species, however soundly asleep; and the repose of animals is more
easily disturbed than that of man. Thus it would also be, were they to
inflict the wound with their claws. With their tongue only, then, is
it possible for them to make such minute apertures in the skin, as to
imbibe the blood through them, and to open the veins without causing an
acute pain.
The tongue of the vampyre I have not had an opportunity of observing,
but those of several Ternat bats which M. Daubenton attentively
examined, seemed to indicate the possibility of the fact; their tongues
were sharp, and full of prickles directed backward; and it appears
that these prickles, or points, from their exceeding minuteness, may
be insinuated into the pores of the skin, and may penetrate them so
deep as to command a flow of the blood, by the continued function
of the tongue. But it is needless to reason upon a fact of which all
the circumstances are imperfectly known to us, and of which some are
perhaps exaggerated, or erroneously related.