250 On the Torpidlt'if of Monkeys and other Animals. 



hope of getting in ; but its wings having been too torpid to 

 enable it to fly further, on being disappointed, it was at- 

 tacked with the mortal lethargy, and died. 



To return to my observations on the monkeys : — 

 On the 5th of February, having again weighed them, I 

 found the smallest weighed 21 ounces, and the second 22 

 ounces and 21 deniers. 



The small one, from the first time I had weighed it un- 



o 



X\\ the 5th of February, had only awoke once, on the 4th of 

 January, and continued awake for 24 hours. From this it 

 results, that since the 1st of January the loss of its weight 

 was reduced to about 9 deniers, while the largest, which had 

 jStvoke several times, had lost 33 deniers in the same in- 

 terval . 



This difference of weight proves evidently that the fat of 

 these animals is very useful : not only do they consume a 

 part of it during their lethargic state, but they are also fed 

 by it in the intervals of being awake from a lowered or in- 

 creased temperature. In fact, we are perfectly certain that 

 they pass these waking periods without food, and that this 

 fasting causes no inconvenience. 



On the same day, the 3th of February, having placed the 

 largest of the monkeys on a pedestal, and covered it with a 

 bell-glass, the edges of which rested on a receiver filled with 

 lime-water, 1 fixed my eyes upon it for an hour, in order 

 to have a better view of the phtenomena of respiration ; and 

 I was convinced beyond a doubt, that during this time the 

 motions of inspiration and expiration were repeated 15 times 

 in a distinct manner, and at three intervals of four or five 

 minutes each. 



On the same day, at nine o'clock in the evening, T placed 

 the small monkey upon the outside of my window in a bed 

 of hay. It remained for some time immoveable, simply 

 giving those signs of a languishing respiration which always 

 continues during lethargy ; but in an hour I perceived that 

 its respiration became more frequent, and that it appeared 

 rather asleep than torpid ; so that the external temperature, 

 which was three degrees and a half above zero, in place of 

 diminishing the respiration, had considerably increased it. 



I would 



