HIBERNATION. ETC, IN ANIMALS. 51 



including the early morning and evening as well as the hours of the working day. Of 

 the habits of this creature when in its natural surroundings I knew but little from per- 

 sonal observations. 



The specimen on which my observations and experiments were made during four 

 successive years was kept in confinement for some time prior to its coming into my pos- 

 session — how long I do not know. It was of medium size and seemed to get more tame as 

 time went on ; but when frightened or angry it acted always very much as a perfectly wild 

 specimen. The marmot is a creature of low intelligence, a natural result, perhaps, of so 

 much of its life being spent in a burrow and so much of its time being drowsed away, 

 free from that struggle for existence which has apparently been so great a factor in all 

 kinds of development. 



On account of the destructive power of its teeth it became necessary to have a cage 

 constructed of strong wire with a suitable movable bottom, essential for cleanliness. 



My specimen would eat fruits, such roots as turnips and carrots, bread, biscuits, etc. 

 But he became very fond of porridge with a little milk, and when he was disposing of 

 this, his smacking could be heard all over the house. It seemed to agree with him 

 perfectly. 



The object of my investigations being to ascertain not only the nature of the winter 

 sleep, but the character of its variations under a changing environment especially as regards 

 temperature and meteorological conditions generally, I kept the animal in different rooms 

 of the houses in which I lived successively during the creature's lifetime, and also in 

 different parts of an out-house in which my dogs, fowls, etc., lived. 



It would take up too much space and prove rather wearisome to attempt to reproduce 

 here the records which I have kept in detail. It will be both more practicable and more 

 profitable to give the general results of studies on this one specimen for the four years 

 during which he lived, and then refer to the unexpected result of the study of another 

 specimen during the past winter. 



I think the following life-periods were recognizable in the specimen I had under 

 observation : — 



1. A period characterized by either drowsiness or sleep or profound torpor, lasting 

 from about November to April. 



2. A period of perfect wakefulness immediately following, during which the animal 

 was emaciated, in poor coat and with a general low vital capital, lasting for some weeks. 



o. A period of improving condition, with good health and a desire to get free, which 

 latter was also noticeable in the preceding period. 



4. A period of maximum weight and vigour with perfect coat and an abundance of 

 fatty tissue. 



But little need be said about any of these life-periods except the first. During the 

 second the emaciation increased rapidly at first on waking, and was equally marked by 

 voracious feeding. The meaning of this will be referred to later. It is plain that the 

 organism entered on its long period of diminished vitality with a large stock of reserve 

 material, and it is ecjually clear that this was drawn upon to the full. 



I now turn to the peculiarities of the sleeping or torpid condition. I have character- 

 ized the first period as one of drowsiness or sleep or torpor, because there are subdivisions 

 of the first period during which the animal was found in a condition that was charac- 



