THE COMMON DORMOUSE. 87 



V 



ceptible of external impressions, and awaked in the 

 evenings,, when they had recourse to their stock of 

 provisions, of which they consumed not a little. 

 The same dry food being injudiciously continued 

 through the summer, they became sickly, and died; 

 so that Mr. Gough had not a second opportunity to 

 attend to the economy of this couple during the 

 cold season. 



About the middle of April, 1793, he obtained a 

 third Dormouse. Experience taught him to ma- 

 nage this in a manner more congenial to its con- 

 stitution. In addition to the nuts and biscuits, it 

 was constantly supplied with green hazel-buds, or 

 raisins, in spring; with ripe fruits in summer; and 

 with apples and raisins in winter. This generous 

 diet not only preserved the little animal in health 

 and high condition, but appeared to fortify it 

 against the benumbing effects of cold, which it 

 supported the following winter much better than 

 the other couple had done; for it never slept more 

 than forty-eight hours successively, and that but 

 seldom, without visiting the cup which contained 

 its provisions. Mr. Gough now began to suspect 

 that the torpidity of the Dormouse, in a wild state, 

 was only a habit imposed by necessity, on a con- 

 stitution which nature had intended to retain life 

 during the cold season of winter, with but little 

 food and an imperfect degree of respiration, as 

 well as a languid, or perhaps, partial action of the 

 sanguiferous system. The uncommonly severe wea- 

 ther 



