ANIMALS AND THE WEATHER 99 
become lethargic and sprawl about on their 
perches, and the lemurs will sit up and 
spread out their arms so as to receive the 
maximum amount of sunshine upon their 
persons. 
Under like circumstances the various 
members of the dog family give vent to their 
feelings by panting with their mouth wide 
open and their tongue lolling out, this pheno¬ 
menon being due to the fact that they are 
only able to perspire through that organ. 
The period of the calendar known as the 
“ dog days,” and extending from about July 3 
to about August 11, has always been associated 
with dog madness, the so-called dog-star, or 
Sirius, which rises and sets with the sun at 
that time, supposing to exercise a baneful 
influence upon our canine friends. 
Certain fish are also affected by weather 
conditions. The North Atlantic basking-shark, 
which attains to a length of more than thirty 
feet, indulges in the habit of lying motionless 
on the surface of the water during warm and 
calm weather with its back exposed to the 
grateful influence of the sun’s rays. In a 
similar manner the sword-fish will bask in 
the sunshine, its enormous dorsal fin being 
expanded to its fullest extent when thus 
engaged. 
