10 Supplementary History

On Owls and Bats

The "Singing Owl," known as the *Chicoatli* among the Indians, is similar in size to our own owls. It possesses a long, slender, dark beak and slanted yellow stripes near each eye. Its underparts are pale, interspersed with black feathers around the neck. Its eyes are black with a yellow iris, while the rest of its plumage is a mixture of tawny, dark brown, and gray. This bird inhabits mountainous areas and, when kept in a wicker cage, chatters incessantly—a trait from which it earned its name. It is easily cared for, as it feeds on bread, worms, and similar fare. Found in both hot and cold regions, it provides a rather pleasant meal. Some, following the common name for owls, call it the *Chiaquatotol*, as it is considered a significant bird of omen.

The bats of the West are quite large, with some exceeding a foot in length. They are covered in stiff, somewhat long hair of various colors; some are yellowish-gray, others darker, and some a reddish-brown. The parts of the wings closest to the body are covered with sparse hair, more so on the underside than the top. These wings can reach a length of one and a half feet and a width of eight inches, though they are shorter and narrower in some individuals, and conversely wider and longer in others. The color of the wings is a brownish-gray. At the top of each wing is a small bone two inches long, ending in a sharp, curved claw used for clinging to trees; a smaller, barely visible claw also hangs from the wing's edge.

They have two ears, which are small compared to the size and thickness of the head, narrowing at the tips to a point. In some, the snout is blunt, resembling that of a cat, while in others it is more elongated, approaching the profile of a fox.

Furthermore, they have six teeth on each side of the upper jaw and seven in the lower, with the front teeth being longer and whiter than the rest. Their legs are two inches long, and their small feet, only half an inch in size, are divided into five toes with two joints each. Each toe ends in a large, strong, sharp, curved black claw, similar to those we mentioned on the membranous wings, which they use to hang themselves from trees.

Gomara, in his *General History*, remarks on the great size of these creatures but does not describe their appearance. He only adds that they are very prone to biting, and that their bite is extremely harmful, requiring treatment with seawater washes and cauterization. Further on, he recounts a rather remarkable story. It happened, he says, in the province of Chiriribichi, that a servant of the Dominican monks in the Monastery of the Holy Faith was seized by pleurisy. The surgeon was unable to find a vein to bleed him and treat the disease, and the patient was left for dead. However, during the following night, a bat found the patient's bare foot and bit him near a vein. Having sated itself on blood, it left the wound open, and so much blood flowed out that the patient was cured of his ailment. This caused great wonder among the monks, who proclaimed it a miracle.

In the East, there are also bats of almost immense proportions, reportedly as large as hens. Their meat is pleasant and agreeable to the palate, yet they are quite destructive to fruit; for this reason, the fields must be guarded at night. This concludes our discussion of the birds pertaining to the first volume of the *Ornithology*.