\ 
142 Fretp Museum or NATURAL History — Zod.ocy, Vou. XI. 
is not thoroughly understood. Its marked characteristics are abnor- 
mally low bodily temperature with nearly suspended respiration; 
heart action much reduced with consequent slowing of the circulation. 
Animation is suspended to a degree resembling death and the appar- 
ently dead animal soon becomes actually so, if taken from its hole 
and exposed for any length of time to a temperature a few degrees 
below that of freezing. This strange physiological condition enables 
certain animals, which without some such provision of nature would 
otherwise perish from lack of food, to pass the winter sleeping in their 
holes or burrows in latitudes where the ground is frozen and covered 
with snow and ice for several months in the year. 
Regarding the hibernating of the Striped Gopher or Prairie Squirrel, 
Kennicott writes, ‘‘At the approach of severe cold, in autumn, the 
prairie squirrel retires to its burrow, entrances to which are tightly 
closed with earth to exclude the frost. In the large nest of grass he 
curls himself up, with his head against the abdomen, and falls into a 
state of torpor, out of which he does not awaken until the return of 
warm, weather in spring. In this state, he takes no nourishment 
whatever, nor does he move. 
“Tf cut or bruised he exhibits no signs of feeling; and to all exter- 
nal appearances seems dead. Respiration and the circulation of the 
blood are carried on very imperfectly; but slight oxygenation of the 
blood takes place, and little heat is generated — the body being cold. 
There is no secretion or excretion, and very little waste of tissue 
occurs, and thus the necessity of food is obviated. From this state he 
is at once revived to activity by the simple application of heat. Placed 
in the cold he again becomes torpid. It is to be observed that the 
species, which passes the winter thus in profound torpor, if removed to 
a warm climate, or if kept in a warm room, will remain active during 
winter. Thus we see how, in the perfect laws of Nature, it is or- 
dained that hibernating animals shall fall into this state of torpor only 
when they would suffer from cold and want of food, if active.’* 
(1. ¢., PP. 73-74). 
Concerning the condition of this animal during hibernation, the 
report of Dr. P. R. Hoy is of interest. He writes, “During activity 
the gopher’s pulse is 200, respiration 50, temperature 105. 
On the 15th of December, the gopher being thoroughly torpid, ten 
perature of the room 45, gopher rolled up like a ball, no visible 
evidence of life, I opened the abdomen and inserted the bulb of a 
thermometer which indicated 58°. I next turned back the sternum 
In this connection it should be stated that the Florida Black Bear, Ursus 
floridanus, continues to hibernate without regard to temperature and at a time when 
palmetto berries” (Serenoa serrulata), its favorite food, are abundant. 
