240 TEMPERATURE OF ECHIDNA ACULEATA, 



perature varied between 31*8° and 26'1''C., its afternoon-tem- 

 perature between 31-8° and 34-0''C. On June 22nd, the animal 

 commenced to hibernate, and was left undisturbed. On June 

 26th, the animal began to wake up, however, but became torpid 

 again on the 28th. It was again left undisturbed, but woke 

 again on July 5th. From July 9th, till the time of its death on 

 July 29th, the animal hibernated continuously. This is the 

 longest period of continuous hibernation shown by any of the 

 Echidnas under my observation. 



The temperature of Echidna No.4 behaved, on the whole, in 

 rather an erratic fashion. From April 30th, to May 15th, its 

 morning-temperature varied between 29"l''to 23'2"C., its after- 

 noon-temperatures between 33-7" and 28-2°C. From May 16th, 

 to May 21st, the temperature of the animal approached towards 

 that of the air, the animal meanwhile becoming more and more 

 sluggish, and finally quite torpid. Next day, the temperature of 

 the animal rose suddenly to 28-8°C., but immediately began to 

 fall again almost as rapid h^, reaching the level of the temperature 

 of the air on May 25th. The animal became torpid again and 

 remained in this condition until its death on June 1st. As this 

 animal was in a poor state of health when it came under observa- 

 tion, its temperatures are not regarded as normal. 



Echidna No. 5 is peculiar, as it showed only one short period 

 of hibernation during the Winter, from June 2nd, to June 4th. 

 For the remainder of this period, with the exception of the 

 mornings of May 27th, and 29th, June 9th, July 19th, and 27th, 

 and the three days preceding its death, the morning-temperature 

 of the animal varied between 31-6° and 25-3"C., the afternoon- 

 temperatures between 34'2" and 26'5''C , although only on one or 

 two occasions were the lower values reached. 



The morning-temperatures of Echidna No. 6 remained between 

 30'9'' and 27"1"C., the afternoon-temperatures between 33 5° and 

 30- 4^0., from April 30th, to May 26th. On June 16th, the first 

 definite signs of hibernation were observed. This animal hiber- 

 nated for a day or two on five separate occasions during the 

 Winter. These occasions were June 17th, July 2nd, 9th, and 

 10th, July 14th, 15th, and 16th, July 20th, 21st, and 22nd. It 



