* 
1885.] Hibernation of the Lower Vertebrates. 37 
may be older or newer than those of the Marañon, and the Ter- 
tiary sea which left the shells at Pebas may or may not have been 
united with the ocean by a Lower Amazonian strait. Some facts 
in geographical distribution lead me to suppose that Guiana was 
then united to Central and Southern Brazil. In that case the 
Amazons may possibly have flowed westward into the Tertiary 
sea from some high land farther east. 
“re 
Ve 
HIBERNATION OF THE LOWER VERTEBRATES: 
BY AMOS W. BUTLER. 
je a recent article in Sczence (Vol. 1v, No. 75, pp. 36-39) Dr. C. 
C. Abbott gave the results of his observations of the hiberna- 
tion of some of the lower vertebrates, 
I have for several years, as opportunity offered, noted my ob- 
servations in this line, and while my experience in some respects 
has been similar to that of Dr. Abbott, I feel that the results I 
have obtained may be appreciated by others similarly interested. 
The climate of New Jersey and Southern Indiana is much the 
same ; this fact will lead us to expect somewhat similar results 
from our observations. 
The common box tortoise, called also “land tortoise” and 
“terrapin,” according to locality, hibernates regularly in Southern 
Indiana. It frequents the drier woodland, partially overgrown 
with underbrush. It enters the ground in the latter part of Sep- 
tember or early in October to a depth not exceeding a foot, the 
average being from eight to ten inches. 
A few years ago, in March, I was burning over a track of wood- 
land on which were a number of brush piles; when the fire 
burned out I passed by where some of the brush piles had been and 
_ noticed that the ground appeared to have been torn up as though a 
charge from a shot gun had been fired into it. Examination, in 
several instances, revealed the fact that the work had been done 
by tortoises. The heat having penetrated to the depth of their 
winter quarters and aroused them from their winter's sleep, they 
now sought the surface and the cause of their sudden awaken- 
ng. : 
. The day being quite cool I placed them in a beaten road which 
1 Read before Section of Biology A, A. A. S., at Philadelphia meeting, 1884. 
