National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-02-23

Tho discovery Of tho tailed man has
been so often announced that until he ia
actually captured, photographed, lion
lied, and duly reported on, we shall con-
tinue skcptical regarding the well au
thenticatcd statement Of this interesting
parsonage running wild, and presumably
Naked in tho woods Of New Britain. The
fact that some extremely inaccessible
spot has invariably been selected for his
abode has enabled successive generations
of romancers to remain uncontradiotsd
until they and their story wero forgotten.
Since the famous Lord Monboddo's time
there have been plenty Of assertions
which would have been good enough
proof for theorist ready to catch at any
straw, though scarcely weighty enough
for othnologists For example. a certain
Col. du Correct reported to tho French
academy that when in Mecca forty-three
years ago he saw at the house Of the omir
"Ghilane" slave named Bellal, who had
tail three inches long and as flexible as
a monkeys. Unfortunately, Col. Correct is
not generally admitted to have ever been
in Mecca, though tho account which he
gives has to an appreciablo extont been
repeated, IL not confirmed, by other
tellers Of wondrous tales. John Struys,
o Dutch traveller, who visited Formosa in
1917. asserted that he saw in tho interior
Of that island savage with tail moro
than foot long, covered with rcd hair.
and very like that of n cow" an append
age which, no adds, was common to all
tho inhabitants, and was the effect of
tho climate" Horneman transferred the
story to the Mann Mans, who were evil
IDENTIFY tho people to whom NJ. du Correct
referred. Again and again have travellers
in Ethiopia alluded to tho belief in the
tailed men which exists among the Abys-
sinians. DIR. Wolf was quite convinced Of
the truth of the story Of there being men
and women in Abyssinia with tails like
dogs and horses"-so ponderous that they
use them as weapons; and adds that such
people also live near China. DIR. Hubsch
afIirms that he saw in 1862, in tho Con-
stantnople hospital, to which he was
physician. n Mann Man woman with q
tail two inches long aud wolfish express
sion quite In keeping. DIR. Hubsch was
man of good status, though at the time
his reputation for strict adherence to
the truth was not unquestioned by
skeptics. In reality, 1t Is now known
that such deviations from the normal
state of matters are by no. means unique.
Setting aside the story Of child in Now
castle which was born with q tail one anG
one-fourth inches long, DR.. Max Bertels,
distinguished German anthropologist,
has, within tho last four years, investi-
gated twenty-one well-authonticatedoa cases
of persons having been born with tails.
There is, therefore, no reason for scouting
the idea that men provided with the su-
perfluity In question may exist, since it
is an essential principle of modern biology
that any popularity may become hered-
itary, aud that there is tendency to
perpetuate these accidental sports" for
''the good Of the Species" In early life
the os coccygis, or termination Of tho sa-
crum-which in tho adult condition is
tucked in-projects somewhat. and Prof.
Ernst Haeckl, who regards these bones as
an undevoloped tail declares that there
exist rudimontary muscles. the remains
Of those which, according to this some
what wild evolutionist, served to
move the tail of our ancient
progenitors." Unfortunately the sub
ject has never yet been reasonably
| treated from a popular point of view,
the idea lending itself too much to bur-
lesque or to ridiculo for that calm discuss
sion which so grave o possibility demands.
1t is. indeed-so Mr.. Barring Gould tells
us-a widespread superstition among De-
vonshire children that Cornishmen are
born with tails, and according to d simi-
lar legend. roferred to by Andrew Mar
vel in his Loyal Scot" certain man OF
Kent were afflicted in like fashion as
mark of the divine displeasure at their
| treatment of Thomas ABeckets horse
at Strood, near Rochester. But after all,
what matters IL? A tail is by no means
an monumental superfluity. A tailless
monkey is infinitely less pleasant to the
eye than one with tail, and among
various savage tribes this fact is recog-