84 ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE 



poor coat, and with a general low vital capital, lasting 

 for some weeks. 



(3) 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 in- 

 creased 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 equally clear 

 that this was drawn upon to the full. 



I now turn to the peculiarities of the sleeping or 

 torpid condition. I have characterised the first period 

 as one of drowsiness, or sleep, or torpor, because there 

 are sub-divisions of the first period during which the 

 animal was found in a condition that was characterised 

 by drowsiness and no more ; again it was plainly only 

 sleeping, while again it was as profoundly torpid as it 

 ever became. The period of most profound sleep was 

 never reached all of a sudden, but was preceded by the 

 two states referred to above. Moreover, as the depth of 

 winter approached the sleep became more profound, 

 and the reverse with the approach of spring, so that we 

 might represent the depth of the sleep by a rising 

 followed by a falling curve with a rather long, flattened 

 top. During the whole of the first period the animal 

 nestled in the straw, with which he was always provided, 

 and when he was most profoundly unconscious but 

 little of him could be seen, often so completely was he 

 covered. 



Another important matter : The amount of food con- 

 sumed was directly proportional to the depth of his 



