HIBERNATION OV ANIMALS. 



37 



mouse out of a sand bank in winter. Upon removing the little 

 animal from the nest, I at first thought, it was dead, for it was 

 quite motionless. ■ Upon taking it into the house, however, it slow- 

 ly awakened, becoming as active as in summer, but when placed 

 in a cool room immediately returned to its dormant condition. In 

 fact, if left to itself, it immediately tried to get into a cool place 

 where it would curl itself up and become dormant. 



The woodchuck accumulates fat in autumn, and entering its 

 burrow before the ground freezes, stops up the entrance and hiber- 

 nates all winter. 



The chipmunk stores food in^ its burrow in autumn upon which 

 it lives, and although it seldom comes out, is active all winter. 



All of our other native squirrels are active all winter and during 

 the cold weather, they may be often seen running about on the snow. 



Rabbits are also active and the same is true of shrews and moles. 



Bats, which were once thought to hibernate, are now believed 

 by naturalists to migrate like birds to a warmer climate. They 

 are continually active in Florida all winter excepting on very cold 

 days. 



Although skunks are inactive during very cold spells in win- 

 ter, they never actually hibernate, for they leave their burrows 

 when there is a thaw. Tame skunks which I have had, while 

 they appeared very drowsy in very cold weather, could always be 

 awakened by handling. 



Among common mammals, bears are well known hibernators. 

 They accumulate a vast quantity of fat in autumn, then enter some 

 secure, sheltered place, as in rocky caves, and there pass the win- 

 ter. Tame bears when kept in a cold place will also hibernate. 



Raccoons, although closely allied to the bears, do not hibernate, 



but are not quite as active during extreme cold weather as on warm 



days. 



Fig. 20a. 



Mollusks which pass the winter in a dormant state in the West Indies. 



