ON TOJIPIDITY IN AINMALS. } 65 



writer of this paper had observed accidentally, that some 

 snails, which had been long confined in a drawer, were found 

 to be alive after beiug immersed in water: the fact appeared 

 very singular to me, and I was desirous to ascertain the ac- 

 curacy of it more correctly by a direct experiment. 



The proof of the second objection being now finished, I 

 am obliged by want of room to defer the remaining two to 

 a future opportunity. 



JOHN GOUGH. 



Middleshaw, 5th Feb, 1808, 

 SIR, 



I Had the honour of presenting the following me- 

 moir to the Society of Nat. Hist. Edinburgh, in October, 

 1798; since which time it has come to my knowledge, that 

 this learned body is not in the habit of publishing its pa- • 

 pers ; and as the essay promises to establish the third and 

 fourth objections offered in my last letter to the received 

 theory of torpidity, I have transmitted it to your valuable 

 Journal. 



And remain, &c. 



JOHN GOUGH. 



On the changes produced in the habits of animals by difference 

 of diet and other causes, together with the history of a rfo- 

 mesticated dormouse. 



The remarks contained in the present essay are not the Introductory 



Tesult of experiments instituted either to confirm or con- remark * 



tradict any notion ; but were collected from observations 



made on the general economy of the little quadruped under 



consideration. 



Having procured two dormice, mures avellanarii, in Ja- Manners of * 



nuarv, 1792, which were caught in the woods but a few d a y S pair of dormice 



recently 

 before they came into my hands, I confined them in a cage caught. 



furnished with a thermometer, and placed in a chamber 

 where no tire was kept. In this situation they were supplied 

 regularly with water and food, consisting of hazel-nuts and 

 biscuit. The weather in February being warm for the sea- 

 son 



