3 a Mr.  hunter  on  the  Heat , See, 
Therefore,  whenever  thefe  imperfeCt  animals  are  in  a 
cold  fo  low  as  to  weaken  their  powers,  and  difable  them 
from  performing  the  firft  of  thefe  fecondary  actions, 
they  become  in  fome  meafure  involuntary,  and  remain 
in  a torpid  ftate  during  the  -degree  of  cold  which  will 
always  occur  in  fome  part  of  the  winter  in  fuch  coun- 
tries as  they  inhabit  ; and  the  food  of  fuch  animals  in 
general  not  being  produced  in  the  cold  feafon,  affords 
another  reafon  for  their  torpidity. 
From  the  circumftances  of  their  heat  being  allowed  to 
fink  to  the  freezing  point,  or  fomewhat  lower,  and  then 
becoming  ffcationary ; and  of  the  animal  not  being  able 
to  fupport  life  in  a much  greater  degree  of  cold  for  a con- 
fiderable  time,  we  fee  a reafon  why  thofe  animals  always 
endeavour  to  procure  fuch  places  of  abode  in  the  win- 
ter as  feldom  arrive  at  that  point.  Thus  we  have  toads 
burrowing,  frogs  living  under  large  Hones,  fnails  pro- 
tected under  the  fhelter  of  Hones  and  in  holes,  fifh  hav- 
very  probable  that,  when  the  heat  of  the  bear,  hedge-hog,  dormoufe,  bat, 
&c.  is  reduced  to  70°,  75°,  or  8o°,  they  lofe  their  power  of  digeftion;  or 
rather  that  the  body,  in  fuch  a degree  of  cold,  has  no  call  upon  the  flomach. 
That  animals,  in  a certain  degree  of  heat,  mull  always  have  food,  is  further 
illuftrated  by  the  inftance  of  bees.  The  conftru&ion  of  a bee  is  very  fimilar  to 
a fly,  a wafp,  &c.  A fly  and  a wafp  can  allow  their  heat  to  diminifh  as  in  the 
fifh,  fnake,  &c.  without  lofing  life,  but  a bee  cannot;  therefore  a bee  is  obliged 
to  keep  up- its  heat  as  high  as  what  we  may  call  its  digeftive  heat,  but  not  its 
^propagating;  for  which  purpofe  they  provide  againft  fuch  cold  as  would  deprive 
"hem  even  of  their  digeftive  heat,  if  they  had  not  food  to  preferve  it. 
ing 
