Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1901-08-15
WILD ANIMALS IN WINTER.
Peculiar Provision Made by Nature for
the Almost Complete Suspension
OF Life.

OF LIE.
The devices Of animal life to bridge over
the winter season, and their ways and
habits during this time, present an inter
ture, writes Charles #. Holder in theI
Scientific American. Why contain forms
should defy the elements and roam
while others, much stronger and apparent
abroad, seeking a precarious livelihood
~ better equipped by Nature to survive
the struggle. enter the strange and remark
able 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 tho
former with its winter habit of proving
over the snow.
At the approach of winter. animals arc
affected in various ways. In the North
all the reptilcsr-snakcs. lizards. frogs and
toads, vast concourse-disappear in n
most miraculous manner The snakes cr-
ter holes and croViccs projecting them
selves as far into the earth us possible.
and. cooled tightly, assume condition. a
state coma, in which they remain until
the heat of the sun comes to awaken them
the following spring, when they appear
VoraCious, and eager for prey to rchablli-
tate them physically after months of
Hastings The frogs plunge down into the
mud of the ponds where they have made
music during the long summer: and tho
sumo is true of turtles. Lizards affect the
sane places as snakes, and when taken
out at this time are apparently lfel, IS.
In some marvellous manner the functions
of life are arrested. There appears to he
a minimum consumption of tissue: Nature
apparently making an exact calculation,
the functions Of life being so almost corn
petely arrested that they are enabled to
lie in this QuiesCent state without food or
water or until the food supply comes
again and the conditions are favorable TO
outdoor life.
This is the case with the reptiles Of the
Eastern and Middle Statcs or wherever
there is n cold winter, ice and snow; but
on the Pacific slope, in Southern Caljfor-
MIA in the same latitude as the above
different condition holds. IIere-ani the
san Gabriel valley may he taken as an eX-
ainple-the lizards are subjected to a win
ter and summer every twentY-four hours.
There is no srow, the days are bright and
beautiful, resembling n cool Eastern Sum
ner, and insect life does not disappear
All winter | have found lizards tasking In
the sun on these bright days, hut rs the
winter days wears on and 4 o'clock an
rrot ches there is a very material change
a strange chill that affects rcptilan life at
once. 1t is their winter. and Just as the
Eastern lizard creeps down into the earth
for shelter and enters its winter sleep. so
this Californian lizard crawls out of sight
beneath rocks, into crevices on under the
volant of a st.to &c 800 7. - go. e.,
ehrivo, hocor,ss soa,1trr,,. ,,,to,,.si,' ~
oftf, s,ro,o,,n. a. .''' U.s., ,y 'o.L
lies, TO all intents and purposes dead and
hfeless, in this way passing the night IN
til or 10 o'clock in the morning. when tho
rays of the sun slowly bring 1t back to-
life.
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