HIBERNATION AND ALLIED STATES IN 

 ANIMALS. 



FOR a long time it has been known that many insects 

 pass into a state of profound torpor during the winter 

 season, from which they are apt to emerge, as seen in 

 our house flies, when the temperature rises sufficiently 

 high. 



Snails are well known to provide against the 

 approach of winter by closing up their shells, within 

 which they sink into a protective sleep, and doubtless 

 hibernation is a very widespread phenomenon among 

 invertebrates. 



There seems to be little doubt that in cold latitudes 

 all reptilia and amphibia hibernate, and in warm 

 countries sestivate. Nevertheless, definite investiga- 

 tions have been few. At the Philadelphia meeting of 

 the American Association for the Advancement of 

 Science of 1884, A. W. Butler made an interesting 

 communication on this subject, giving some definite 

 data, more especially in regard to the hibernation of 

 the "box tortoise," "soft-shelled" and "hard-shelled" 

 turtles, frogs, toads, newts, salamanders, and certain 

 fishes, which may be found stated succinctly in the 

 Proceedings of the Association for that year. His 

 observations apply to Brookville, Ind., U.S.A. He 

 concludes that : " In this part of the Ohio Valley, tor- 

 toises, turtles, toads, and frogs are regularly found 

 hibernating; while, on the other hand, newts, sala- 

 manders, and many species of fish do not, as a rule, 

 enter a torpid state." 



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