2 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Our present interest is with the descendants of the 

 great past dead. The majority of reptiles come from 

 tropical countries, and this is the first difficulty in the 

 way of keeping them in a temperate climate. It is very 

 rare that the temperature of the British Isles is high 

 enough to suit these animals, and we must accordingly 

 resort to artificial heating. We must study the most 

 suitable temperature, light and feeding. However, there 

 are a few general considerations to be investigated first. 

 Most reptiles, when free, hibernate during the colder 

 months in their own climates, as also our own snakes and 

 lizards, but prior to doing so they store up sufficient fat 

 to carry them through their sleep. This raises an 

 interesting point as to whether hibernation is essential 

 to the well-being of a reptile or not ; many foreign lizards 

 have lived more than one winter in our climate in an 

 artificial temperature, some indeed for several years, 

 without, apparently, any bad effects resulting from 

 suspension of hibernation. These cases would seem to 

 show that this resting stage is not a physiological 

 necessity to every lizard. On the other hand, some 

 years ago, I kept some green lizards which I had 

 collected in Jersey, partly through a winter at a 

 suitable heat. They did not do very well and most of 

 them died before the winter ended. I find the Amphibia 

 behave much as the reptiles do, for on another occasion 

 a British toad had been allowed to go into its winter 

 sleep and after two or three weeks it was put back into 

 the heated case. It was completely upset and did not 

 resume feeding for a very long time. 



70° F. is a good average heat at which to maintain 

 most reptiles ; this may be done by direct heat under 

 the case, the bottom of which is covered with sand, or 

 to have the case over a heated water bath. The best and 



