Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-02-15
THE BEARS WINTER.
People Might Follow His Example
and Save Great Expense.
WHAT sUCCrs FAST SUGGESTS.
Fat Accumulated in Fall is the Fuel of the
Cold Months.
THE FACTS ABOUT GRoUND.noG DAY
WRITTEN FOR THE D1srAroH.l

WRITTEN FOR THE DlSfATCH.l
Southey, the famous poet laureate of Eng
land nearly a century ago, said: "Inclina-
ton would lead me to hibernate during half
the year in this uncomfortable climate of
Great Britain"
Well, why not?
Is there any good reason why man should
not pass the winter in a state of hibernation,
if be feels like 1t, Us well as the bear or the
ground hog? To hibernate, be it remem-
bered, simply means to pass the winter in a
state of Observation-Disclosures up, as we might
expressively put it. No man could hiber-
nate for six months, az Southey felt inclined
to do, but neither could a bear. Our
winters, say in the latitude of Pennsylvania,
are comparatively short. The season of
snow and frozen ground does not, in the
average, begin before the Goth of December,
and it doesn't often last later than the 1st of
March. 1t may safely be said at least that
the alternating period of the bear and other
mammals in our latitude is not more than
ten weeks. Now there are we'll authenti-
Gated cases Of men fasting six weeks or
more whilea taking considerable exercise
every day. Every movement in the way of
exercise drains the surplus vitality to a
certain extent, just as every revolution of a
locomotive wheel requires some consump-
ton of fuel in the furnace.
If a Man Would Fatten.
If a healthy man were to fatten himself,
as the alternating mammals do, and then
keep as quiet as the bear in his winter den,
possibly he might live through a ten-weeks'
fast. Succi, the italian, lately tasted 6%
weeks in New York, In a badly ventilated
room, and while taking liberal exercise
every day. Three and a half weeks more,
under such conditions as the bear fasts,
might therefore be possible for man.
No doubt there are many poor people in
the United States who could indorse
Southey's sentiment, but the majority of us,
fortunately, get 4 great deal of enjoyment
out OF the winter season. Ii nature mad rot
furnished us with the means of passing the
cold term comfortably possibly we might all
realize the wish ofthe famous Englishman for
nature always supplies exactly what is most
needful to her creatures. Man is so consti-
tuted that he can provide the food and cloth
ing and warmth necessary to carry him
through the period of excessive cold. This
is not so with many other animals, and so
nature has made provision for helping them
through the winter. Thus all reptiles. ser
penis, toads, lizards and the like make nests
in the ground when cold weather ap-
proaches; then they go to sleep and snooze
comfortably until the sunshine of spring.
time again warns them into activity. Bats
and some fishes also pass the winter in a
state of torpidlty.
The Difference in Blood.
1t is commonly believed that such of our
~well-known mammals as the bear and the
ground hog hibernate in winter in the same
sense that the reptiles do. but that is a mis-
take. Many a hunter has verified the truth
of this statement by his experience in stir
ring up a bear family in midwinter. The
difference between the Information of the
warm blooded animals and the cold blooded
reptiles is very great. The latter may re-
main torpid for six months with very little
loss of weight. This is because their blood
temperature is really as low as that of the
air which surrounds them, and therefore but
little animal fit needs to be consumed in
keeping them alive. But the temperature
of the warm blooded animals approaches
that of man, which is about $50, no matter
whether he is under the equator or within
the Arctic circle. In this respect there is
not much life ence bet Teen man and the
bear, Tor example.
From the moment the bear houses up in
his winter quarters he begins to lose flesh,
which is the fuel that must constantly be
consumed by both man and bear when fast
ing. This is necessary to keep up the high
temperature of the blood. OF course, if you
should go into a bears den, with kind
permission of Mr.. Bear as a theater mana
ger might say, you would probably find the
place comfortably warm. But remember
that this warmth was generated by the con-
sumption of bear flesh, just as the heat of
-FOUR comfortable room has been generated
by the consumption Of coal. Instinct tells
tho hihnrpatiur m nj, al in tho late ,uturnp
that he must make preparation for the time
when snow and ice will prevent him from
gathering food.
Fuel the Bear Uses.
He responds to this warning by gorging
himself as a pig does in fattening time. In
the case of the bear he gets so stout at the
beginning of winter that his body is covered
with a layer of fat'sometimes an inch thick.
This is the fuel chiefly whose consumption is
to keep him alive until the warmth of early
spring will enable him to earn or steal his
living again.
AS an evidence that bears and the like are
not actually torpid in winter, we know that
a swarm spell" will always cause them 10
come out or their dens and skirmish about
for something to eat. After all exceedingly
cold winter a bear, in his spring debut, is SO
lean and weak that he can hardly walk. He
is like a man who is physically run down by
long illness. But he soon RECEIVERS from this
condition if he can find some nuts or succu-
lent roots, or a convenient hen roost or pig
sty.
The Information of the ground hog is
similar to that of the bear. OF course you
know the tradition that the grounding
always energies from his hole on Candlemas
Day-the ID of February. Then if he sees
his shadow he returns to winter quarters,
knowing that the shadow portends many
more days of winter. The trouble with this
tradition is that it was handed down to us
wrong end foremost. The grounding pokes
his nose out of his winter door just as the
bear does, rs soon as he thinks there is a
possibility of finding something to stay his
empty stomach. If the conditions are favor
able he will 20 in search of iood, as the bear
does, but if there is no encouragement he
noes hack in disgust like a hungry and dis