How Certain Animals Live In Winter

Our readers know that there ro two kinds of respiratory apparntus - lungs whioh inhale air, abstract oxygen from it, and give in return ehiefly carbonio ■oid ; and gills which absorb the oxygon dissolved in watr, and also givo oö ohiefly carbonic acid, whioh is more readily diesolved in water tbu the oxygen. Tbe 6rst apparatus is posiessed by mammals, birds, &o. ; the latter, by fiihea ; and as luogs are inoapable of taking oxygen out of water, and gills cnDnot take it from the uir, or in other worJs, as luags canuot breatho air, anima!" with lungs aro drowncd in vator, while fish aro drowned in the air. A small nnmber of amphibious animnls, howerer, possess bothgills and lungs, and can'therefore brcathe either air or water, snd thus live in both. It bas been, how ver obserred that muskrats, and other Bwimming marnraals with lungf", could trsrel considerable distanes under ioe without reaohing any breathing hole on the turfaoe, and it was for a long time a problem how thoy meceeded in living go long and traveling so far without aooeis to the atmospherc. The problem has been answered by 8. Newhouse, in work oalled the "Trapper'i Guido," from which we extraot the following: "Muskrats Lave a curious method of trareling long distancei under the ice. In fcheir winter excursk ns to their feeding grounds, which are frequently at great diatanoe from their abodes, they take in br.eath at starting, and remain uoder water ae long as they can. They rite to the ioe and brcathe out the air in their iungs, whioh remains in bubbles agaioit the loner eurface of the ico. Thoy wait till this air recoven oxygcn from tbe water and ioe, and ihen tako it iu agaiu, and go on till tho operalion has to be repeatod. Id tbis way tbey can travel almost uy distance' nd live anv leogth of timo uuder the ioo. Tho hanter sometimos takes advantage of thit habit of tho muskrat iu tbe following mftuner : Whon the marsheg und ponds whrro the muskrats abound are firat frozen over, and the ice is thin and clear, on striking into their houses with Lis hatchet, for the purpose of setting bis traps, be frequently tets a whole faraily plange into the water and gwim away uuder the ice. FolLowing one for tome distauce, he een hitn oome np to rencvv hii breath in the manner tbove desoribd. After the animal has breathed through the ice, and before he hai time to take it in agaio, the hunter strikes with his hatchet directlj over him, and drives away his breath. In tlrs case ho drowns jn mrimraing a íott rodo j aud iliu liunier utting a hole in the ioe, takei him out. Mink, otter and beaver travel under the ice in tbe game way ; and hunters Lave frequeutly told me of taking otters in h marnier I have desoribed, when tliesa 'an'imals'visit the houses of the