‘46 
[00% Hor the Monthly: Magazine. © 
(On HeserNa TION; or) the Dorm renx 
i) 'Sesprneton of Animar Lire. 
HIS is'a truly interesting subject; 
and we trust. that the various dn- 
ween tg facts connected with it, will 
‘be more diligently observed by natu- 
#alists.. It may be said that there are 
Your species ‘of Hybernation:—l. In 
“the case of animals which change their 
overings ;) 2. Of those that lay up 
food; 3. Of those that migrate; 4. Of 
those that remain torpid daring the 
winter. months. It has been defined— 
(continuance of life under the appear- 
‘ance of death;. a: loss of ‘sensibility and 
‘of voluntary motion; a suspension of 
‘these functions most essential to the 
Fer seat of the ‘animal. economy ; 
these constitute,” says Dr. Reeves, 
““one of the most singular problems. i in 
«the whole range of natural philosophy.” 
« ‘Looking on this subject, the philo- 
‘sophic: mind: ‘is' struck with astonish- 
went: at the wonderful compensation 
made to animals not having the power 
+of locometion, and which ‘are. so’ situ- 
‘ated asto be deprived of food by the 
‘approach of severe cold; it cannot ex- 
plain their adaptation to’ such situation. 
At would appear that cold was neces- 
\sary to produce this state—but this is 
‘not: always the case. The tanric cau- 
sdetus, an inhabitant of India and Mada- 
‘gasear, becomes torpid, and continues 
so, nearly six months; while the dippus 
\sagitta is equally torpid in) Siberia and 
Egypt: but nature is not, unvarying in 
nbs respect, for many animals that. be- 
come torpid in Pennsylvania, are not so 
in. the Carolinas, The number of ani- 
mals that hybernate: is greater than is 
igenerally imagined ; and when the ther- 
-mometer sinks to about 50°, these ani- 
mals retire to their hiding-placesi in.trees, 
-roeks, and. the earth,. wherever they 
may he» most secure from the assaults 
_of enemies.  Spallanzani never found 
the, temperature of torpid animals be- 
“low 36°, although exposed to much more 
severe cold, Sir J, Hunter introduced 
worms, &c, into. the stomachs of lizards, 
-end, on examination, during winter, 
feund the, food unchanged; and. those 
:that, were kept till spring voided. it 
-pochenged, Professor Carlisle . states 
“ that, all hybernating mammalia_pos- 
se58: a ne structure. of the heart 
-and_ its. principal veins: the superior 
cava divides into. two, trunks ; the left, 
‘pass over: the left. .auricle of the - ber 
_ siderably in.the.course.of two mani, 
opens into the em of 
the right auricle” .<. ee 
ow { 
Hybernation. 
[ Aug. 1, 
It is necessary: to guard against mis- 
taking suspended animation for hyber- 
nation, nzani resuscitated’ ani- 
«malculz that had: been inia dry stave 
for twenty-seven years, by-putting water 
ito them:.” Heyals found that»sdmeitor- 
pid bats lived seven minutes’ \inilansex- 
hausted receiver; ‘while another: died i in 
three minutes. Inanother experiment, 
a bird and a:rat didnot live one minute 
‘in carbonie acid: gas, -yet:.a@ totpid »mar- 
mot remained an hour;:and, then re- 
-covered, on. being» exposed «to the 
warm air. 13 ae 
Gen. Davis; in the Linnean Society 
Transactions of America, has: given a 
description of a'torpiddippus canadensis, 
which was completely deprived of air; he 
says, “ It was discovered enclosed in a 
ballof clay, about the sizeofacricket-ball, 
perfectly smooth within, about! itwenty 
inches under-ground. The man who 
first discovered it, not knowing: what; it 
was, struck the ball with his spade, by 
which it was broken to pieces, or the 
ball would have, been presented to’me. 
‘How long it had been under ground, it 
is impossible to say; but as.I never 
could observe any of these animals after 
September, I conceive they Jay. them- 
selves up some time in that month, or 
at the beginning of October, when the 
frost becomes sharp; nor did-I ever see 
them again before the last week of May 
.or the beginning of June. From their 
being enveloped in clay, without an 
appearance of food, I coneeive they 
sleep during the winter,.and remain; for 
that term, without sustenance’... This 
countenances the frequepsly-agserted 
fact of live toads haying been yfound 
imbedded in sand-stone,:&c.; -Further, 
Spallanzani. preserved: frogs: and »ser- 
pents alive for three years anda half, 
in the temperature of 38° and 399. Fat 
has been found not so necessary, as 
was supposed, to the preservation of 
animals in, this state. Torpor .assails 
some when their food fails. . | « 
Mr, Gough preserved a large garden 
snail, in a perforated box, three. years, 
without food: it was revived Uby put- 
ting it into water at 70°. The same 
gentleman relates an experiment, which 
clearly proves that’ the comfortable 
‘warmth of a fite will revive the cricket, 
and induce’ him to leave his. “winter 
retreat. “ The crickets,” says he, were 
brought from a, distance,. az ae 
th in the beginnia of Septem- 
+ 18065 here, Pale pm 
but were neither: seen nor pact 
oan Eee 
