STRIPED SPERMOPHILE. 



35 



eaten during the winter or saved for use in the spring when grnin and 

 seeds are scarce remains to be ascertained. 



Hibernation. — The observations of the late Dr. P. E. Hoy on the hiber- 

 nation of this spermophile add much to our knowledge not only of its 

 habits but to the subject of hibernation. 



He states: "The following are the results of many observations and 

 experiments on the Striped Gopher (Spermophilus tridecemlineaifus) dur- 

 ing active life as well as when under the profound stupor of hiberna- 

 tion. During activity the gopher's pulse is 200 ; respiration, 50 • tem- 

 perature, 105. 



"On the second of October, having procured aKed Squirrel (Sciurus 

 hudsonicus) and a gopher, animals of nearly equal size, the one active 

 during the coldest weather, while the other is a characteristic hiberna- 

 tor, I cut out a part of the gluteal muscles of each, and after dividing 

 and bruising, so as thoroughly to break up every part, I took 50 grains 

 of each and placed in a test tube, into which I put 2 ounces of cold 

 water. After freely agitating, the mixture was left to digest for eight 

 hours, at the expiration of which time I carefully decanted and renewed 

 the water, agitated and left twelve hours, then filtered and rolled the 

 residuum on blotting paper, in order to remove all excess of moisture. 

 When weighed they stood: gopher, 50-15; squirrel, 50-10. These ex- 

 periments were repeated with substantially the same results. Gluteal 

 muscles of the squirrel contained 20 per cent of albumen, soluble in 

 cold water, while the same muscles of the Striped Gopher treated in 

 like manner, at the same time, yielded 30 per cent. 



"As it is well known that the flesh of reptiles is rich in albumen, I 

 procured several marsh frogs and subjected the gluteal muscles to like 

 analysis, which resulted in 40 per cent of loss. The following will con- 

 vey to the eye these results : 



Per cent of soluble albumen : Frog, 40 ; gopher, 30 ; squirrel, 20. 



"On the 15th of December, the gopher being thoroughly torpid, tem- 

 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 such a man- 

 ner as to expose the heart and lungs. The remarkably congested con- 

 dition of these organs first attracted my attention ; in fact, it would 

 appear as if all the blood had collected within the thorax. The pulsa- 

 tion of the heart was reduced to four each minute, the auricles would 

 slowly and imperfectly contract, followed immediately by the ventricles. 

 These slow pulsations of the heart occupied four seconds. There was 

 no visible respiration, the lungs remaining almost entirely passive. 

 The heart continued to pulsate, without perceptible change, for fifteen 

 minutes, and then when raised from its position it continued to pulsate 

 for some time, being almost reptilian in this respect. During hiberna- 

 tion the circulation is so feeble that when a limb is amputated but a few 

 drops of blood will slowly ooze from the fresh wound. The stomachs 



