The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-04-21
THEY SLEEP IN WINTER.
ANNALS. FISHES, REPTILES AND IN
sECTS THAT HIBERNATE.
Cannot Bear TX rsme Cold--Curlous Facts
About the rnsct Of Climate ON tho
uibernants.

vine Already / have found the arum
which rcjoiccs In the name OF skunk cab
bdec. aud the buds on the lilac. the Tao
nmahac aud the hOrsc-chcstnut are
Swflling. The squirrels. both the req
md tho chipnunks. arc chasing each
other along the fences. and on the sunny
walls the flies are lazily chngine, ana rs
lazily buzzlng, when they venture 70 l't
40 their hold and take n droNsy fiGhi.
ON all sides there are signs that hiDcf-
nation. or. as We may put IT, retirement
INTO Winter quarters Is nearly over THIS
same Attenuation Is q curious ana won
derf,,l provision I'm the temperate zone
and colder regions for tho good OF boih
vegetable and animal life. IL has ats
counterpart In the tropics but as II thcre
taxes place under conditions OF neat
IS called destination. With TINS. now
ever. / shall only deal incidentally, as It's
characteristics are tn the nam i'e"uC~
with those Of Information.
The Information of animals Is oiten
looked upon as "A Kind OF suspended ami
nation" Expressive as IS the tcim' II
IS scarcely correct. Certain functions OF
life are always al work In alternating
creatures. and 10 IS only some mat are
suspended. 10 IS equally incorrect 10 oe
scribe perfect Information as q sleep al
though il is a popular name, for In sleep
pended i'm the hibcrnants PSYCHOLOGISTS
,eu ns that while respiration is almost
entirely susDendcd the action OF lht
heart continues. and even when hiDcrnai-
ine animals have been decapiated the
heart has continued 10 beat for some
time afterwards. as If the physiologlcai
functions had been thrown mo sucn
state that the usual conditions OF pnlsa-
ZION were altered. Animals in this state
al. Cd
sells containing carOcnic acid gas ana
have even been immersed lu water lot
sa,cral hours without that destruction OF
life which would have ensuei IN ie"
moments n they had been so placed while
IN q state OF consciousness.
THEY pE fEoa COLD.
II must not. however De supposed that
pnlmals can endure aiy amount OF coiu'
no matter how great. when alternating.
II they are subjected 70 too great an eN-
srcme. death viii take place just as sure
~ as 10 viii u0n-hrcrHatius creatures
which are frequently frozen fo dtaih
Animals endowed with Tho alternating
faculty seek hiding places where they
can be- secure from 100 severe degree
If cold II by any chance they are *
a,oged 10 an undue reduction OF tempera-
ture the cold first OF an rouscs them and
then they sink into the sleep of death.
Although man is not hibernatins
animal vet ne IS capable OF undergone
long periods OF suspended consciousness
The physiology OF which is not yet un-
dcrsfood. Rare as this condition is in
temperate climates. il appears to be not
f.frccueut Ga hoi regions, such as lndla,
where faklrs have undoubtedly Nolun-
tarily surrendered themselves 20 TINS
state. Marvellous as are some OF tho
stories. ana Incredible as they may seem
10 persons living in such climate "s
This there are instances viii leave but
little room for doubt as to The genuine
ness of the suspension Of some OF the
bodily functions and aIpoutes one we'll
authenticated case IS that of religious
fana-i. who was buried alive al Lahore
in 1851 in the presence OF iiunlect Sihsh
ana Sir Claude Wade Although every
precaution was taken against int. ference
with the grave or the body, the man "as
dug up after an interval Of sew fai months l.ls
ana resssuea-s'- C'0Yscio'%'ness. We ca"
~. ~ call this any instance of hibcrna-
tion. or of restoration, but we mention
II to show the possibility Of the principle
inWOrking in man
As we descend the scale of the animal
kingdom the first wcll-known case OF
Information we meet with is that OF bats.
Some species OF this animal invariably
enter a state Of torpidiiy in the fall Of
ewes. and hollow trees, where they hang
suspended 10y their hinder claws head
downward. not only 20 "coiBns OF Nanf
fape" but 10 each other. In manner
which reminds one of swarm of bees
IT. other species the habit is not so con-
Armcd, for very frequently IN LhRlahd
! have sasr pipistrclc tyng about on a
warm sunny Winters day, and in Jahu-
nrv last IN the middle Of such an after
.fr.l.f lot
the species OF which ] could not SATISFY
myself about These creatures also fan
into a deep daily sleep called durnatlon.
during which they are >cmi-tcrpi g.. men
was "a boy I caught many one I'm am
old church tower hy .lmply walking up
ta the corners where / knew they were
in The habit OF hanging and taking 'hem
IA my hands. In this case. however.
thew soon woke mp most thoroughly ana
began TO squeak. showing their teeth n
an ominous way: while IL you take hold
of them during the true Information they
Just give few feeble rcspirations ana
fali acain into state OF perfect sltmpef.
INDIGNATION or BEARS.
curlonslv enough. the female only OF
tho Polar bear. found in the coolest re-
pions of tho earth. hibc.nates. while inc
male may DE found roaming about al
any time. Thr black bear OF North Amer
ieqn Is tric Informant and becomes
pcrfsctv dormant during Winter when
A. Il As disturbed IT merely turns round
and goes 90 sleep AGAIN. so that at 'his
season q RS easily Killed when its nidf"s
,,laec.hae been discovered. ON the ollci
hand The brown bear of Europe and
Aei, enters into Sos Wietcf iuiphity only
nariarv. b. cariy aroused and is ih'r
terrlhiv vicious Bears never hibernate
until they have sccrctcd q good suppl
Of fat. and II is Wcll known that th'
black bear will not retire TO MS hiolht
ulaee unless he b. .n condition. The IN
rcetlyo organs cease their functions, inc
infestincs are stopped up By an indisea'i
hle mass. bot the vital energy is not en-
tireiv dormant for the fst which was
stored up ln summor is consumed an'
mo animal wakes mp in fury OF nun
ger ,,.,.
THE European hedgehog, an ANNA
covered with spinos after the manne
~ Inc porcupinc, hut belonging 10 th'
inse.tiVora. Is spoken Of as the mos
nerfsrt instance known Of Attenuation
among the higher animals. ln autumn
a. soon as ms food OF mice. young oiIu.
fross. insects ana worms, begins 10 ial
on I'm abundance 10 reurcs 10 a MONO"
a., the root Of tree or beneath "a rocf
and enters upon its Winter condiuon' -
evenly balances Is the state OF iis respira
ton and muscular cN<itdoiliiN, tnat II
is disturbed ln mldwinNr 10 draws a deF
breath which is followed 10y "A few feed'
rcspiratlons and then 70 dies IL was OF
This animal that the iilustr.ous John Hun
ter cxperimented. lie says. "rhe hedge