\66 ON TORPIDITY TV ANIMALS. 



son at the beginning and end of the month, and frosty from 

 the l6th to the 25th, I had an opportunity to obsewe, that, 

 whenever the thermometer, which was attached to the cage, 

 fell to 4-2°, the dormice became inactive, and remained ap- 

 parently insensible as long as the heat of that part of the 

 chamber did not exceed the temperature here specified : but 

 as oft as the mercury reached ! 47°j they became very sus~ 

 ceptible of external impressions, and awaked in the even- 

 ings, when they repaired to their stock of provisions, of 

 The pair killed which they consumed not a little. The same dry food was 

 treatnfentT 1 " ^judiciously persisted in through the succeeding summer ; 

 in consequence of which they grew sickly, and died before 

 • the winter commenced : so that I had not a second oppor- 



tunity to attend to the economy of this couple during the 

 cold season. 



A third dor- About the middle of April, 179-3, I obtained a third dor- 



mouse more, ' r , ., i r • i . 



judiciously mouse fresh from the woods : former experience taught me 

 treated. to manage this in a manner more congenial to its constitu- 



tion ; for in addition to the nuts and biscuit, it was constantly 

 supplied with green hazel-buds or raisins in spring ; with 

 ripe fruits, particularly cherries and pears, in sum rarer; and 

 with apples and raisins in winter. This generous diet not 

 *■ only preserved the creature in health and high condition, 

 but appeared to fortify it against the benumbing effects of 

 cold, which it supported the following winter much better 

 than the other couple had done formerly : for it never slept 

 more than 48 hours, and that but seldom, without visiting 

 the cup which contained its provisions. 

 Proof of the I now began to suspect the torpidity of the dormouse in 



o jec wri. a w j|^ state, to be nothing but a custom imposed by neces- 

 sity on a constitution, which nature has intended to retain 

 life during the cold season of winter, with but little food 

 and an imperfect degree of respiration, as well as a languid 

 or perhaps a partial action of the sanguiferous system. The 

 preceding supposition can alone reconcile the difference of 

 manners observable in the dormice I had in 179 c 3, and that 

 which has been described above: for as soon as the neces- 

 sity of sleeping was removed, the propensity to become tor- 

 pid with cold disappeared in a great measure. Tiie uncom- 

 monly severe weather which ushered in the next year, viz. 



1795, 



