Can't blame you for that quick move.

In Oaxaca (Southwestern Mexico) there is an old myth about the bat. Apparently the bat was jealous of the birds and their beautiful feathers. Feeling outcast and lonely, the bat spoke with God about this.

God asked the birds if they could each donate one feather to bat to wear so he would not feel so odd and different and ugly. So, in their kindness, each bird plucked one of their feathers and gave it to bat. The feathers would also keep bat warm at night they said.

Bat became so full of himself with his beautiful feathers that made rainbow colors when flying in the sunshine that the birds complained how arrogant bat had become. They told God how bat had changed and was no longer so nice and friendly.

Being surprised at bat's sudden change and conceited attitude, God asked bat to show him how he flew and showed off. As bat flew across the sky in the sunshine feathers started dropping off him, one at a time till he had none at all.

Bat became so embarrassed about his loss of beauty and ashamed to show his skin -- so, he hid in caves and would only come out at night to fly when no one could see him.

Ah- that lovely cocktail of hubris and vanity. I can relate to the above teaching tale having seen so many individuals, and covens, do the same thing

It is a rather cute story. Makes one feel sorry for ol' bat.

I remember when we were kids and outside around dusk time, if we saw a bat we would cover our hair with our arms and run into the house screaming "Bats !!!!"

Probably a hangover from the times when bat used to actually live in peoples houses and the youngsters occationally used to fall off their mum and end up in someone's hair.

I still worry about the fate of the bats that used to drink from the Britsh Embassy swimming pool when I was there in 1973. This is what it looked like then , hopefully some of my protection spells for them pre-1st Gulf War worked, and are still working.