MEN WHO HIBERNATE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 8763, 14 March 1907, Page 1

MEN WHO HIBERNATE.

J - o A St. Petersburg despatch announces that in several of the provinces of Bussia the peasants, as a result of the famine, have taken to their beds, lying motionless for days at a time in order to weaken the pangs of hunger. This exigency may be akin to the pseudo-hibernation habitually practised by Bussian peasants in the northern provinces, notably in- the Pskov district. If such is the case the hardships endured by the peasants this winter may not be as great as the casual reader might be led to believe. True, the pseudo-hibernation which is general in Pskov has resulted from the fact that famine is well-nigh chronic there; but by practice from tim» immemorial the peasants have become accustomed to imitate the habit of the bear and marmot in winter, until now the custom is re- . garded by them as one of the normal conditions of human existence. i They have a name for this winter sleep. It is called " lotska." ' In the brief autumn the housewives of Pskov prepare a sufficient quantity of hard black bread to last until spring. When winter sets in in earnest the - family lie down around the stove and go to sleep. Once in the 24 hours everyone wakes up to nibble at a piece of the black bread, which is c washed down with a drink of water. Then ail go to sleep again. The members of the family take watch and watch about to keep the fire J going. j | This pseudo-hibernation lasts until spring, or upwards of six months, , when the peasants take up their humble tasks again, and are busy - until the succeeding winter, when i silence reigns over the frozen land once more.