Uv PRELIMINARY SKETCH OF THE 



least know all the circumstances which pre- 

 cede, accompany, or interrupt it. It was made 

 a prize question in France, and from the obser- 

 vations of several of the competitors, added 

 to those of Spallanzani, towards the close of 

 his life, it appears that the perfect lethargy is 

 accompanied with a total suspension of respira- 

 tion, of motion, of sensibility, and digestion. 

 Circulation is excessively slow, and nutrition 

 and transpiration reduced almost to nothing. 

 The blood appears to quit the extremities, and 

 inflate the abdominal vessels. 



The only proximate cause, or, as it is sci- 

 entifically termed, condition of lethargy, is 

 cold, and the absence of irritating stimuli. 

 These may even counteract the action of cold ; 

 and this is the reason why, in domestication, 

 many of these animals never fall into the le- 

 thargic state, and that, on the contrary, others 

 require a greater degree of cold to prevent 

 them falling into that state, while absolute rest 

 and pent air cause them to lethargize much 

 sooner. Too sharp a degree of cold acts upon 

 them as an irritating cause, and awakes them. 

 During the lethargic state their natural heat 

 rises but little beyond the mean temperament 

 of the air ; but if awakened, they speedily re- 

 cover their usual heat let the weather be ever 



