The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-12
WILD ANIMAL WAYS IN WINTER.
A Curious Chapter I'm Natural His

Charles Frederick Holder in Scientific
American.
The devices of animal life to bridge
over the winter season. and their ways
and habits during this time. present
an interesting. indeed fascinating, page
of nature. Why certain forms should
defy the elements and roam abroad,
seeking a precarious livelihood. while
others, much stronger and apparently
better equipped by nature to survive
the struggle. enter the strange and re-
markable winter sleep with all their
functions in allegiance, and sleep away
the winter, is one of the problems that
is of more or less interest The fox
we'll illustrates the former with its
winter habit of prowling over the
snow.
At the approach of winter animals
are affected in various ways. In the
North all the reptiles-snakes, lizards,
frogs and toads, a vast concourse-dis-
appear in a most miraculous manner
The snakes enter holes and crevices,
projecting themselves as far into the
earth as possible, and, coiled tightly.
assume a condition, a state of coma,
in which they remain until the heat of
the sun comes TO waken them the fol-
lowing spring, when they appear. vo-
racious and eager for prey, to rehabili-
tate them physically after months of
fasting. The frogs plunge down into
the mud of the ponds where they have
made music during the long summer:
and the same is true>of turtles. Liz
ards affect the same places as snakes.
and when taken out at this time are
apparently lifeless. In some marvel
GUS manner the functions of life are ar
rested There - L.. ...g.
consumption of tissue; nature appar-
entity making an exact calculation. the
functions of life being so almost com
Pleteiy arrested that they are enabled
10 lie IN this quiescent state without
1000 or water, or until the food suply
comes again and the conditions are ia
vorable to outdoor life.
rms is the case with the reptiles of
the eastern and middle states, or wher-
ever there is cold winter, ice and
SNOW out on the Pacific slope. in
southern California, in the same lati-
tuue as the above, different condition
holds. Here--and the San Gabriel val
ley may be taken as an example-tbe
hzards are subjected to a winter and
summer every "a hours. There is mo
snow the days are bright and bealiti-
lul. resembling cool eastern summer.
ana insect life does not disappear All
winter l have found lizards baskinr IN
me sun on these bright days, but as
the winter day wears on and o'clock
approaches, there is a very material
cnange-a strange chill that affects
reptlllan life at once. II is their win
ter, and just as the eastern lizard
crawls out of sight beneath rocks in
20 ereVlces or under the bark of trees.
ana enters what is the equivalent or a
state OF coma. 1t seems to shriyel he
comes seemingly intensely cold. often
stretches out its entire length. and lies
10 all intents and purposes, dead and
liIeiess, In this way passing the might
uLitll or 10 o'clock in the morning
Wnen the rays of the sun slowly bring
II back to life. ''e
rms curious night coma is, so far as
~ ppeala Iices 60 identical with the win
yer sleep of eastern lizards. The func-
tions are in allegiance for the time ma
ire is at its lowest ebb. In ohservire
these sleepers I have found then, hv
turning over the piles of stones earIy
III the morning, and have often found
d row or them, limp. cold and snnar-
ehtiy dead, lying in the sun. to watch
me gradual return to life. II came
very gradually, those lizards nlsced or
snelr packs first showing signs of life
ny qulvering of the limbs. which
49, then orawn up; then the long tai
wouio move, and finally the littIr
sleeper would clumsily roll ova,
into an upright position, and as tbs
olrect rays of the sun struck anS
warmed 1t into life its eyes would ero,s
prlgnter, and suddenly. as tbo,,at
touched by some magic wand its 49,
would be lifted high, the bIue hraas.
piate CLEANED in the light. and. with an
ar OF establishment and alarm. this
sPFeeper awakened would dash over the
ground and escape, once more a Uv,n !
creature type of activity. a menace
20 insect lie. Every night in the cali
condition can easily be sunerjnd,,oaS
oy suo1ecting the animals 10 artif,ctai
cold The bears in Southern California
are round abroad at all times. while
III the northern part of the state ana
IN the East they enter into a connista
state OF Information, going into their
winter sleep well conditioned ana go
evidently living on the latter until
ugly. iea" ana
The change in color of animals ar the
approach OF the winter season is one
=. ene remarkable features of life. The
eIihine is an example, and several 9TH
srs assume white coat, the change
oeing a protective feature. The ntar-
migan has similar habit. a chance
Whlcn renders II inconspicuous TO lis
various enemies. so
AL the approach of winter the hirds
perhaps present the most remarks hIs
spectacle. With some few excentjons
tney move away from the conditions
when threatened them, and in what Is
popularity called the departure and re-
turn of the birds we contemniata =
wonderful migra ton, in which the hieb-
est instinct OF self-preservation ap-
pears to have been developed. The
piros OF the coast have a definite line
OF migration; the shore line AT this
llne constitutes bird highway, over
whlcn tens OF thousands are passing
IN the autumn to the South, where
tnere IS a food supply; in the spring
TO the North, to the fields they know
so We'll and the nesting places where
the young are to be raised. Much of
TINS migration is carried on at night
nigh In air. and during storms myriads
or birds are often confused and killed
by dashing blindly into the lighthouses
that mark the highway. At Heligoland
light the ground in the morning is fire.
quently strewn with birds from ducks
and geese to the smallest songsters. In
the interior the birds follow valleys
ana the mountain ranges.
On the Pacific coat the coast range
and Sierra Nevada mountains consti-
tute a well-defned line of travel In
Southern California the flight of cranes
and geese along this pathway is a re-
markable sight. The birds, especially
the cranes, cover long distances by