Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-02-07
THE TAIL OF THE DOG
HOW A CANINE EXPRESSES PLEAsr
uRE on HUMILIATION.

me Important Part That the Tall ~ ~
Hunting Dog Plays IN the Chase All T
Dogs Seem to wag Their Tails When /
PIessed--why Dogs was Their Tails.
There are many reasons for the tail !
being the chief organ OF expression
among dogs. They have but little facial |
expression beyond the lifting Of the lip
to show the teeth and the dilation OF the |
pupil Of the eye when angry. The jaws
and the contiguous parts are too much |
specialized for the serious business Of
selling prey to be fitted for such pur-
poses as they are in man. With dogs
which hunt by scent the head is neces-
sarily carried low, and is therefore not
plainly visible except to those close by.
But in the case Of all hunting dogs, such
as foxhounds or wolves which pack to-
gether, the tail is carried aloft and is
very free in movement It is also FREE
quently rendered more conspicuous by
the tip being white, and this is almost
invariably the case when the hounds are
Of mixed color.
When ranging the long grass Of the
prairie or jungle, the raised tips Of the
tails would often be all that an individ-
ual member Of the band would see Of his
fellows. There is no doubt that hounds
habitually watch the tails Of those in
front OF them when drawing covert.
II faint drag is detected suggestive of
the presence Of fox, but scarcely suffi-
cient to be sworn to vocally, the tail of
the finder is at once set in motion, and
the warmer the scent the quicker does it
| wag. Others seeing the signal instantly
join the first, and there is an assemblage
Of waving tails before ever the least
whimper is heard.
Should the drag prove doubtful one
the hounds separate again and the wav-
ing ceases; but if it grows stronger whef.
followed up the wagging becomes more
and more emphatic until one after an
other the hounds begin to whine and
| give tongue, and stream off in Indian
file along the line Of scent.
The whole question Of tail wagging IL
q very interesting one. All dogs wag
their tails when pleased, and the move
ment is generally understood by their
human associates as an intimation that
they are happy. But when we attempt
to discover the reason why pleasure
should be expressed in this way the ex-
| PLANTATION appears at first very difficult
one. All physical attributes of living
beings are, upon the evolutionary
hypothesis, traceable to some actual
need, past or present. The old and de-
lightfully conclusive dictum that things
are as they are because they were made
30 at the beginning no longer can be
put forward seriously outside the pulpit
or the nursery.
No doubt in many cases-as, for in
stance the origin of human laughter-the
mystery seems unfathomable. But this
only results from our defective knowl-
edge of data upon which to build the
bridge of deductive argument. The rea-
son is there all the time could we but
reach it, and almost daily we are able
to account for mysterious and apparent.
ly anomalous phenomena which utterly
baffied our predecessors. Probably the
manner in which domestic dogs express
pleasure is owing to some interlockine
of the machinery of cognate ideas. In
order to understand this better it may
be helpful to consider some analogous
instances with regard to habits of oul
own species.
!, There can be no question that the
chief delight of wild dogs, as with mod
ern hounds and sporting dogs, is in tn,
chase and its accompanying excitement
and consequences. One of the mos
thrilling moments to the human hunte
(and doubtless to the canine), and on
Ing with that most poignant of all de
lights, anticipation of pleasurable ex
element combined with muscular activ
ity, is when the presence of game is frs
) detected. AS we have seen in watchin,
the behavior in pack of foxhounds
this is invariably the time when tail
are wagged for the common good. TIL
wagging is an almost invariable accom-
paniment of this form of pleasure, whicl
is one of the chiefest among the agree
!, able emotions when in the wild state
! Owing to some incubation of tn
,, nervous mechanism, which at presen
we cannot unravel, the association @
pleasure and wagging has become SO in
separable that the movement of the tai
! follows the emotion whatever may ca
|, it forth.
An explanation of a similar kind ca
be found for the fact that dogs depres
their tails when threatened or scolde6
When running away the tail would b
the part nearest the pursuer, and there
fore most likely to be seized. 1t wa
therefore securely tucked away betwee
! the hind legs. The act of running ava
Y is naturally closely associated with tn
L emotion of fear, and therefore this ge
!, ture of putting the tail between the leg
:. becomes an invariable concomitant of IT
u treat or submission in the presence {
: superior force. When a puppy take
. out for an airing curves its tail dow
= ward and scuds in circles and half ci
) Giles at fullest speed around its maste
a it is apparently trying to provoke i
. pseudo-cynic playfellow to pursue it
d mock combat. 1t may be observed tn;
this running in sharp curves, with fir
auent change of direction, is commo
ruse with animals which are pursued /
!, larger enemies. The reason of it is thu
= the centrifugal impulse acts more poy
erfully on the animal of larger bull
;, and so gives the smaller an advantag
"a DIR. Louis Robinson in Contemporal
Review.
IA Bad BIunder.
to Magazine Office Boy-Oh, there's bet
r an awful time up in the editorial roo