58 HABITS OF BIRDS. 



inhabitants differed only about one or two degrees 

 from the ordinary standard in England*. At very high 

 temperatures, however, there is a somewhat greater 

 difference, as appears from the ingenious experiments 

 made by MM. Delaroche and Berger, who exposed 

 themselves to a heat of 228, or sixteen degrees above 

 that of boiling water : they ascertained that at such 

 very high temperatures there is an increase of seven or 

 eight degrees of the centigrade thermometerf . The 

 increase of cold on the contrary does not appear to 

 influence the temperature of the body in a similar 

 way ; and hence we discover the cause why great 

 cold proves less injurious and fatal to animals than 

 might be reasonably anticipated. White of Selborne, 

 speaking of gipsies, says: "These sturdy savages 

 seem to pride themselves m braving the severity of 

 the winter, and in living in the open air (sub dio) the 

 whole year round. Last September was as wet a 

 month as ever was known ; and yet during those 

 deluges did a young gipsy girl lie in the midst of one 

 of our hop-gardens on the cold ground, with nothing 

 over her but a piece of a blanket extended on a few 

 hazel rods bent hoop-fashion and stuck in the earth 

 at each end, in circumstances too trying for a cow in 

 the same condition : within this garden there was a 

 large hop-kiln, into the chambers of which she might 

 have retired, had she thought shelter an object worthy 

 her attention J." Some half-wild cats (Felis do- 

 mestica), which frequented a solitary farm-house 

 on the borders of a wood, were more attentive to 

 their comforts than this young gipsy ; since a neigh- 

 bouring kiln for drying corn was their favourite resort 

 during winter when the fire was lighted. 



The law by which animal temperature is thus main- 

 tained at nearly the same degree on exposure to con- 



* Phil.Trans. for 1814, p. 600. i Journ.de Physique, Ixxi. 289. 

 J Nat. Hist, of Selborne, lett. 67. J.R. 



