. The clafs was of opin,ion that fieUh^r of the two meri^ioirs 

 ^f&nfmitted to it contained a fuffici^^it illuttration of ihe fnb^ 

 jeft to be entitled to the prize, but that the obfervatious iu 

 them were fufliqiently interefting to defcFvie honourable inenr 

 tiott. Xhe autiho,r of the nieniqir IN^y. T, with the mal(p 

 Inccrta fades inter v'lt^m et mortem, does n-nt explain tl^ 

 JieQellarv diftincUons between the ways in which the difteren't 

 clafles of animalg; f;?end the winter, and does not give inffir 

 cient details in regardi tQ Uit-Lr peculiar habits and the difl'qrr 

 ences in theiiv niaftvner of life. He fpeaks only of fome of 

 the ni animal i a;, bii^li^ gives anatomical details refpeO^fing 

 tlie diaphragmatic iit'fvea, and thofe known under the name 

 pf nerves of the eiglub pair, as well as the thymic gland, and 

 jhe mufeles which ferve to delermine the form v.hich the 

 animal aflunies during its torpor. He gives alfo fome cu- 

 rious obfcrvations on the degree of temperature into \\ hich 

 the animal enters when in that flate : it was chiefly on the 

 mus aveilanartus ; the bat, vcfperiilio miirinus ; the hedge- 

 hog, erinaceus europa-us ; and the marmot, ardo7njs murmotcay 

 that thefe obfcrvations were made. 



• One-half of the memoir No. 2, having the motto Qui4 

 miruvi Ji non afcendunt in cillum ardua ciggreffi? is devoted 

 to general obfcrvations on life and death, and on the different 

 modifications of life. Without confidering thefe preliminary 

 obfcrvations foreiizn to the object which the author propoies, 

 in our opinion he has given them too much extent. He then 

 makes a diftinftion between animals which pafs the winter in 

 a ftnte of torpor. He feparates ihofe whofe torpor is properly 

 a deep and prolonired flcep, which he calls vita foporofa^ 

 from thofe whofe torpor is a real iufpenfion of the vital func- 

 tions, which he calls i)ita inlcrrupta. Among the former 

 he examines the bear, ui-fiis arctos ; the hedge-hog, the bat, 

 the marmot, the dormouie, myoxus gits Schrcber. ; the wood- 

 rat or mufcurdin, myoxus mufcardinus Schrcber. ; and the 

 hamlter, mus cricfius Linn. He enlarges a great deal on 

 their habits, their kind of life, and the manner in vvhicli 

 they pafs their liate of torpor ; but gives few details in regarc| 

 to their anatomy- He however obferves, as the author of 

 the former, theiize of the diaphragmatic nerves and the eight 

 trifplanchnic pair, particularly in bats, but does not ipcak ot 

 the (tale of the tiiymus. Among animals of the fecond he 

 diftinguKhes thofe wliich arc provided with organs of t ircu-» 

 laiion, as the amphibia, and thofe which have no a|)pare.nt 

 organs of that kind, as is the caic with mfcets; bnl oi the 

 amphibia he examines only frogs, and gives no details re- 

 fpccting the torp<jr of infects, iiis obfcrvations on ibu Irojj 



