Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-16
ANIMALS IN WINTER
FEW oBLIvIoUs TO WHAT is CO.
ING ON AROUND THEM.
Bears Hiding Places-Raccoons' Dens
in Hollow Trees-Unsociable
Chipmunk.
From the Bangor News.

III the strict definition OF the word there
are very few mammals in Maine which
hibernate, becoming lost In sleep an
TO he cblivious OF what is going ON
around them. Our raccoons and skunka
ana pears crawl away to hiding places and
seem to be torpid. though they awaken
ana become active as soon as fheir apart.
ments are invaded by human foes.
Twice We have seen bears unco,-a,.S
from under fallen trees during very colo
weather in midwinter and In both casa.
me animals were awake and on the de-.
iehslVe as soon as the choppers could ga,
at them' Raccoons do not hibernate In
the sense OF becoming unconscious. Taey
den up In hollow trees and log. hD. Ia,
ooil,e one come along and strike forcIbiy
ABOVE their secluded dens ana they are
up ana dressed and ready to fee as quickly,
as family is when the FIRE alarm is sound
ca al the front door. During nearly every
winter thaw. bears. skunks and raccoons
come out and walk about on the srovy- =,
times going miles away from their winter
quarters.
The Chipmunk.
Our greedy little friend the chipmunk
If not believed to sleep any moro hours IN
the winter than IN the summer. II pu.,
oy plentiful store OF food ana performs
hshe housekeeping In its hole far below
me irost. so far a g any one can learn
ground den. The old notion that tho m.
Their and mother chlpmunk took their chit.
oren Into winter quarters and gave them
lessons in stealing grain and gnawine hole,
In corn bins Is a fabrication.
We have talked with scores OF mon wbo
nave been close observers of chipmunks
for years, and as yet we have found none
. VINO ever saw two chipmunks dwelling In
the same compartment. Skunks however
are very social IN their winter habits one
winter when barn In Waldo county burn
ca down the charred bodies of eight
Fhhtiss were taken from the ashes ana
tuppish ieft from the blaze. Raccoons
have small objections to receiving sleeninr
partners in hollow trees, though bears
seem 10 DE morose and solitary brutes,
Wnch nave no Hiking for their kind
But the woodchuck sleeps soundIv enouv,
TO make up for all the wakeful and half
waKefui creatures Boys who have stOre1
tame woodchucks In barrels in the ceIl4r
10 pass the winter have taken the torpfd
animals and carried them miles In their
arms without breaking in upon their sleep
a lat woodchuck in early winter may be
Drought from Its nest and placed by tho
size OF warm stove for half an hour with
conduct. " "
~, But when slumbering woodchuck is
warmed and rubbed until II is fully awake
IL Is about the most disagreeable beast
living. Though II has been as tame "a
a. a.. PEI Kitten when put away. 1t will
many signs of displeasure If aroused from
ATS long sleep before II has burned I'M its
surplus fat by respiration.
The Sequestered Bat.
1t requires long hunting and much IA.
dence to find slumbering bat I'm mid
winter The animals are so small thar
they can hide In most any crev.ce ana
their color Is 30 subdued that unless onA
IS looking for them he can never find them.
Inc general impression is that bats hiber-
nate from October until April, as no ons
sees 1hem hylng about during the cold
months.
Years ago we found a seemingly torn.d
Dat concealed among a wad of hay I'm tho
mortice of a beam in a hay barn. Tha
season was winter. for we remember thera
was snow on the ground. It was cold
weather, too, for We took Off a thick
WOODEN mltten as cage for holding the
pat until we carried It to the house and
.nstaiieo IL as pet The reason why we
never tanned and studied the habits of thar
particular bat was because the pestiferous
little creature bit us sharply In the thumb
as soon as we touched its body. and be-
TORE We were over our great surprise at
this impertinent act the bat had fed from
sight 1t may be that bats assume a sleep
tnet leads to Inconsistencies IN winter,
though the one We met assumed nothing
Nearly all Notwithstanding frogs toaTs
snakes and turtles-bury themselves below
frost In winter and remain sluggish and at
times torpid until spring. II n frog is
dug from the mud and placed in a. spring IL
Will swim away though slowly a. first
The little nevis or salamanders and the
lizards, We are unable to say concerning
their habits. They are reptiles though
the specimens found here at the north are
small enough TO be classed as insects We
have dug both salamanders and lizards
from springs in winter and have found
them In full possession OF their faculties
We have left nevis out of doors In water
In tin pail over night and had them
freeze as solid ice. though when they
thawed out they did not show III effects
from frost bites.
Frogs and toads can stand freezing and
thawing a few times. though the experience
seems to be wearing as most of them
succumb after repeated trials. Just how
snakes pass the winter we do not know.
Two or three specimens of the common
striped snake which we have dug from
stone heaps In the winter appeared to be
frozen and stif, though a natural repug-
nance to the reptiles prevented close OBJ
serVation.
Most insects can undergo freezing and
thawing with impunity. Insects which
breathe air and dwell on land cannot sur
vive freezing in water, though dry cold
does not impair their health.