cool breeze or shower of rain,
and starting at the slightest noise, creeps for shelter into the
thicket, where he lies peeping with his penetrating eyes in the
direction of the apprehended danger.

At sunset swarms of bats flutter through field and forest in all
directions, and greedily devour the insects which in the twilight awaken
to full activity. Some of these bats (_Phyllostoma hastatum_, Geoff.)
are remarkable for their expanse of wing, which measures nearly two
feet. Others are distinguished for ugliness and for their offensive
smell. These latter fly into the Indian huts at night and greatly annoy
the inhabitants, who cannot get rid of them by fire or smoke, or any
other means, until at the midnight hour they retire of their own accord.
Not less troublesome are the leaf-nosed bats (_Phyllostoma_), which
attack both man and beast. This bat rubs up the skin of his victim, from
which he sucks the blood. The domestic animals suffer greatly from the
nocturnal attacks of these bats, and many are destroyed by the
exhaustion consequent on the repeated blood-sucking. The blood drawn by
the bat itself does not exceed a few ounces; but if, when satisfied, it
drops down to the ground, or flies away, the wound continues to bleed
for a long time, and in the morning the animal is often found in a very
weak condition, and covered with blood. One of my mules, on which a
leaf-nosed bat made a nightly attack, was only saved by having his back
rubbed with an ointment made of spirits of camphor, soap and petroleum.
The blood-suckers have such an aversion to the smell of this ointment
that on its application they ceased to approach the mule. These bats are
very mischievous in the plantations of the forests, where beasts of
burden and horned cattle are exposed to their attacks. Whether they
venture to assail man has been a much disputed question. Several
travellers declare that they do not. I may, however, mention a case
which occurred within my own knowledge. A bat (_Ph. erythromos_, Tsch.)
fastened on the nose of an Indian lying intoxicated in a plantation, and
sucked so much blood that it was unable to fly away. The slight wound
was followed by such severe inflammation and swelling that the features
of the Cholo were not recognisable.

Many beasts of prey, and among them some of formidable strength and
fierceness, make havoc among the other animals of the forests. In the
lofty Montanas the black bear (_U. frugilegus_, Tsch.) roam