HOW ANIMALS SLEEP.

Shannon News, 17 August 1923, Page 3

HOW ANIMALS SLEEP.

Wild horses and horses running at grass spend a good deal of their time in lying down. But of horses kept in stables, especially if they are tied up, two in five entirely reluse to fie down, and five always on their feet.

Yet a horse can sleep quite comfortably in a standing position. It you watch it doing so you will notice that it rests one. leg at a time, depending upon the o.ther three to sustain the weight oi its body. •' In this respect the elephant resembles the. horse. An elephant -wild m the jungle usually lies down to sleep, but an elephant in captivity sleeps standing up. The rhinoceros, too, can sleep m a standing position, although in a. wild state it generally lies down to do so. A woll or a fox sleeps curled up, its nose tucked in close- to the s-oles of its feet and blanketed by its bushy tail. If you watch yo-ur dog you will notice that, when very .tired, this is the way in which he sleeps, but on the other hand, if just taking a cat nap. he often lies straight out, wdh his nose between his fore paws, or sometimes flat on his side, with all lour legs stretched out. All birds sleep standing up, and, not content with this, some, such as storks and cranes and gulls, stand on on e leg only. Almost all -birds, with the exception of owls, sleep with their head turned over the, back, and beak thrust among the feathers between the wings and body. Owls simply drop their heads between their shoulders and seem to shrink up into a great ball of fluff. The way in which a sleeping bird preserves its balance perched on a slender twig is explained by the curious construction of its legs and feet. Its clutch, upon the twig is absolutely automatic.