The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-17

while the bear is clessed as perfect hi
bernator by naturalistss IL breathes while
in its lethargy, as its blow holes in the
snow prove-holes melted in the snow be-
meath which the animal frequently slows
itself away, under a covering of leaves,
which holes frequently betray its presence
to the WOodsman.
THE marmot family produces the sound
est winter sleepers. When the marmot Is
in its peculiar state of Information the
electric spark will not house it. The most
noXious gases do not affect il in the slight
est If its temperature is raised above
that at which the animal breathed in it's
natural state itfwill die almost Immediate
ly. This is on the authority of the late
Prof. Peter A. Browne. who, at one time.
was connected with Lafayette College, and
Investigated the subject of Information
and estivation further than any other
scientist that l know of.
1.-THE hamster, a rodent common in
Northern Germany, is another animal that
has its peculiarities as a hibernator Prof
Browne mentions a hamster that was put
into a box which was closed with earth
and straw and placed where the cold was
intense, but the hamster did not show any
sign of becoming torpid. The box was
then buried in the ground and was dug uD
after some hours, when the animal was
found in state of most profound lethar-
where there was no fire. The animal roll
ed itself up in a corner, but presently woke
up and came out IT was in the best of
health. but died in q few days-'suffocated
Prof. Browne declared, because 1t could
not have confnedw
"Our own familiar wild animals. the
bear, the raccoon and the woodchuck-the
grounding Of colOquial nomenclature
are classed as perfect hibernators because
rrfff,
acquired a thick, fatty secretion between
the skin and flesh, which, it Is supposed,
supplies them with sustenance AS
matter of fact, although dormant animals
absorb fat, 1t does not enter into their dl-
gestive organs. The same fat absorption
occurs when the animal Is dead. II you
kill a rabbit, or any other animal and
leave the entrals in 1t, the fat will dis
appear in a short time. Remove the en-
trails and the fat will remain. Food in
troduced into the stomach of a alternating
animal or reptile will be found undigested
at all stages of the lethargy. l say in
troduced into the stomach because il
could not get into the stomach Of such a
creature only by force or artificial means,
for a alternating animal invariably goes
into its epculiar state on an empty stom-
ach Why? ! do not know. That Is one
Of the mysteries of ell things connected
Of the phenomenon. But the most mystic
natirg animals is that although bears
and woodchucks are profound hibernators.
they produce their young during their win
ter sleep
1.-THE woodchuck is undoubtedly a per-
feet hibernator, and the female bear is,
but the male bear is frequently reused
from his winter sleep, and is found roam
ing about in midwinter. A bear hunt
when the snow Is deep and the cold in
tense is not an uncommon relief TO the
monotOny of life I'm the backWoods, but
the hunted bear Is invariably a male. 1
have talked with scores Of old and OBJ
servant woodsmen, versed in the way and
haunts of wild beasts, but none has ever
been able to say yet that he ever knew
a female bear to be killed after the sea-
son for Information has come, and none
has ever yet seen a gravId female bear.
Where do the females go during that
time that they are never disturbed in
their retreats? No one can say.
1.-THE raccoon is often gregarsous in its
alternating and it may be that for that
reason 1t not infrequently comes forth
from its snug quarters in the hollow tree
and makes foraging trips about the coun-
try-the warmth engendered by the hud-
ding colony arousng one or more of its
members from their lethargy for the time.
Woodchucks hibernate in pairs, but
never knew one Of these proverbially
sleepy creatures to leave its hole until
warm weather came--in spite of the alleg-
ed practice 1t has of coming out invaria-
bly, on the second day of February to fix
the weather for the rest of the winter /
took the trouble once to dig into O wood
chuck's burrow on a Candemas day-and
warm, cloudy day ii was just such a