Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-12-03
SUMNER SLEEPING ANIMALS.
Several Which Reverse the Supposed
Usual Order of Things.

Every one knows that large num-
Der of animals sleep in protected
places during the cold season of the
year and wake in the summer. A
similar phenomenon is the summer
sleep of different reptiles-principally
serpents and crocodiles-which thus
pass the time of greatest heat in trop-
zeal regions. But that reptiles and
amphibious animals. native to the tenn
perate zones, frequently spend the hot
days in a summer sleep" is not So
well known. DR.. Franz Werner ha.
recently had this discussed in til
zoological-botanical society of Vienn"
and furnishes the following particI
lars, rs reported in the n. Y. S{1n'
Zei5atng. During the months OF Ju
and August it will be observed /
those who pay any attention to outdoC
animal life that reptiles and amp.i
ians are noticeably fewer in numbc
than during the spring months; bat
they begin TO hunt under large, smoot
stones. in holes in the ground, on til,
edges of marshes and ponds. undo.
brushwo0d and heaps Of dead leave
they will not seldom find these an
mails, either alone or in great group.
in a condition very similar to Sleel
not indeed so sound as the whit
Sleep" but the eyes are fully close
and the breathing little slower. I'll
frogs sit huddled together and max,
no attempt to flee. only hnrrowin
somewhat deeper into The eartl
Lizards aud salamanlcr> lie almos
motionless. with the tails oyor thej
heads, and even the latter feel almO~f
dry. Snakes are rolled up like spiraI9
and, as q rule. with the head cor
cealed. They are. however, the mo.
quickly reused.
The reason Of this summer slce' j.
different, according as the animal live,
on land or in the water. Those OF
land sleep during Ihe greatest hca';
those IN the water only When Their
usual dwelling place is dried up. hicn
generally, though unl necessarily, oc-
ours during The I.igh temperature.
The waller salainanders are always Ia
a partial summer sleep; those which
i've III the wafer during thu " hole
year do not s;enp in summer. such as
the water fro@. which lives in ponds
and marshes well supplied with alter.
it is generally supposed that our rep
tiles enjoy HE heat of summer, so that.
as this increases, they improve in
health. But this is net always the
CASE; rather it has been found that
many of oar reptiles are killed by a
prolonged exposure to the heat of the
<nn. and ii We observe lizards in the
open air we may be sure that they do
not stay out very long under the beams
ut the sun, but 90 back from time to
Tine to their dwellings. Only turtles
yan remain exposed to a glowing sun
any length of time without some shade.
/ trds and snakes often succumb in
'A.f an hour. The summer sleep of
,lta>e animals is regular habit wher-
'r"r the warmth of the sun annually
"nac es its height; that is to say, from
very noon until about o'clock. and
creases where the rainfall is light
aud infrcquent. In places where in
"nse heat is of rare occurrence a sim
ar phenomenon is observed in these
ears only. In captivity these ami
ais have neither a winter nor sum-
uer sleep because the temperature of
ne cages is kept warmer in winter
md cooler in summer than in the open
air