HIBERNATION AND ALLIED STATES IN ANIMALS 85 



sleep. Not only did he eat less frequently, as a matter 

 of course, but the quantity taken at one time was less. 

 Occasionally, when fully hibernating, he would awake to 

 fall asleep again, merely after gathering the straw about 

 him a little closer, and not eat at all. His cage always 

 being supplied with food, there was no doubt about his 

 ability to provide himself when so inclined. 



His excretions were also in proportion to the amount 

 of food consumed, and especially to the depth of the 

 sleep. The less he ate, and particularly the more pro- 

 foundly he slept, the less were his evacuations when he 

 awoke. He never befouled his bed, but always left it to 

 void urine and faeces. 



During the period of mere drowsiness the animal 

 would be awakened by a gentle rustling against its cage, 

 and even when asleep, a noise, etc., would always arouse 

 it, but when in a torpid condition it could not be thus 

 aroused, but might be handled without being brought to 

 the natural condition, though handling and much less 

 disturbance always caused movement, a phenomenon to 

 be discussed later. 



In the spring of 1891 my Woodchuck came out of his 

 winter sleep in a very emaciated condition, and this, as 

 usual, increasing after his awakening, he was in a doubt- 

 ful state; but the case was soon decided against the 

 animal in consequence of my servant having left him 

 for some time fully exposed to the sun's rays. An 

 autopsy revealed the fact that the animal (a male) was 

 the subject of tuberculosis of the lungs, though possibly 

 but for this exposure he might have lasted another 

 year. 



Through the kindness of Mr K. F. Eorke, an under- 

 graduate in medicine of M'Gill University, I became 

 possessed of two specimens of the Marmot in the latter 

 part of the summer of 1891. One of these was very 

 large and in fine condition, and his escape soon after 



