64
Rectal Temperatures of Animals at Rest
atures (3-5 p.m.) increased from 106.4 to
108.6ºF., so that the difference between the
a.m. and p.m. averages at the highest air
temperature was as much as 3.0º F. From
two-hourly body temperature recordings,
taken over periods when the average room
temperature ranged from about 57 to
75ºF., it was shown that body temperatures
were highest at 4 a.m, and lowest at mid-
night (cf. Fronda above), the difference
being about 1.5°F. The general finding
therefore was that body temperatures
increased and decreased in nearly direct
relation to the air temperature. The
greatest change in body temperature occur-
red between 6 and 8 p.m., with a decrease
of about 0.8ºF.
EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS
The experiments were made on male
buffaloes, cows of theHariana breed, sheep,
goats and fowls at Izatnagar and on Kum-
auni hill-bulls and sheep at Mukteswar.
The animals selected appeared to be in
reasonably good health, but a few troubles
developed during the experiments. They
were housed in sheds sheltered by trees
and were not crowded. In winter some
straw bedding was provided. They were
watered and fed at times that would not
interfere with the observations. The
cattle were given an adequate ration; cows
received a concentrated mixture usually
containing ground-nut cake, rape-cake,
wheat bran, gram husk, with mineral
supplement, while the roughage consisted
of hay or bhusa, fresh green fodder or
silage according to the season. Buffaloes.
got gram or cowpeas and maize or jowar
with the concentrates. Hill-bulls got a
ration similar to the cows, while the sheep
and goats also got a suitable concentrate
and roughage ration.
With the cattle and buffaloes five series
of observations lasting 10, 10, 13, 12 and
10 days were made in April, June, July,
August and December 1941, the tempera-
tures being recorded at 7 and 10 a.m., 1, 4, 7
and 10 p.m. and occasionally at 1 and 4 a.m.
In April, July and December in case
of buffaloes supplementary figures for
7 a.m. and 4 p. m. were taken from a
other experiment. With sheep and goat
at Izatnagar there were two series ea
of five days in February and June 1942
and with fowls, two series each of three
days in February and (end) May 1942
At Mukteswar hourly temperature obser
vations extending over 24 hours were
made on hill-bulls and sheep during July
1942. Dry-bulb temperatures were recor
ded with a hygrometer suspended at the
centre of the shed or room at about eight
feet from the ground.
The following details are necessary.
Buffaloes. Five male Indian rive
buffaloes of 'country' breed, 6-8 years old
and weighing 950 to 1,100 lb. were used
They were housed in a chapper open
the sides. They were watered daily
7-30 a.m. and 3 p.m. and fed at 10-30 a.m.
and 4-30 p.m. Slight exercise was given
at 7-30 a.m. Two of them suffered from
slight diarrhoea for a few days during the
first experiment (April) and one of the
had to be replaced before the next experi¬
ments.
Cows. Five in number, ages in year
3, 4, 10, 11 and 14, body weights 870-1,10
lb. Two of them calved in February 1942
and were in milk during the first three
experiments; before the fifth experiment
(December) one of them went dry and
two others had calved in September and
October. They were tied in a shed, which
was closed on three sides, except from
to 10 a.m. when they were tied in the
open. The only exercise was a short wal
after 10 a.m. Watering was at 7-30 a.m.
and 3 p.m.; feeding at 5 a.m. and 3. p.m.
at which times they were milked. The
air temperature in the shed was about the
same as that in the buffalo-shed. All five
remained in normal health, except that
the youngest had a slightly raised tempere
ature for 1½ days during the second experi
ment. The third and fourth experiment
(July, August) coincided with the monsoon
and rain totalling 11.07 inches fell on nine
of the 25 days in these experiments. The
temperature of the rain water was 75-78°F.
During the fifth experiment the other