The morning journal-courier., 1908-12-02
VERY USEFUL TAILS
The Most Important Member of Many Well Known
 Animals,
EXPRESSES THE FEELINGS
Compared With IL. 'rrs and Legs Are Compnrntivcl, Recent
 Inventions,

Why is tail? Man is wont to ridiculo the caudal appondage and minimize it's uses, probably because he shed his away back in tho pitho cold stage Tho end df things seems to him futile and undiRnhed, Yet the . tail continues to he 2 most important member among animals. and the world could haHly wae without lt. Arms and legs are modern inyen- tion compared with the sinuous ey- tension that wigglod and waved and acted as propeller to the early forms of life millions of years ago. All sentiments and emotions were ey- pressed by the tail curved or erect or gently moved from side to side, con stituHnE a sign language quite sutiic- lent for the icthyosaurus and other hrainy citizens of the deep
 Observe the tails when you visit tho zoo, says C. William Reebe curator in the New York Geological park, in an article in the Outinp Magazine. When you soc dog lie down and curl his tail forward you have hint of the primitive use of this member. The animal in a wild state. when he weather was cold. was accustomed to use his thick hairy tail as 3 rus around his body, and particularly as a shelter to his nose While suugly sheltered he could breathe and smell an enemy through the porous tip, Tho dog expresses all kinds of alice tion by wagging. and grief by droop- | ing his tall pointer has learned in forty generations an artificial self control that causes him to stiffen his | body and tail when he scents the game. When A dog puts his tail be- tween his legs it Is a remInisccnce of an ancestral preCaution against a pur- 1 suing enemy who might bite the trail- | ing member,
 | The cat tribe does not wag but uses It's tail to get rid of a surplus of nerv- ous energy when engaged In the hunt, l The kitten stalking bird or lion after an OK curls and uncurls the lip 1 of its tall This is like a man norN- | ousy tapping his foot or fingers at moments of stress and excitement 1 The jaguar walking on slender bough and the house cat going to a concert rendezvous on top of a back 1 yard fence employ their tails 10 keep their balance, the same as a tight rope artist sways his pole. Sheep seem to have no use for tails. yet the | breed found in Asia Minor and Tar | tary with a ffty-pound tall make the l appcndaRe serve as a storehouse for fat These enormous extensions are fastened on two sticks, which drag or the ground or are carried on two small wheels.
 An important function of tails is to Whisk away flies and other insects that attack animals unprotected by long hair or thick hides. Two horses or cows standing beside each other. head to tail, and joining forces to switch off flies, Illustrate an Ingenious appli- cation of the prOverb that two tails are better than one, The wild horse did not have much tai because his thick and shaggy coat shielded him from insects.
 Most aquatic animals use the tail rather than the limbs to swim with.
 The alligator paddles along slowly with his webbed toes, but hc folds 1 his legs or lets them drift when he
 wants to 80 at full speed by undulat.
 ing his taiL Seals fold their hind
 fippers together and use them tail-
 fashion, while pcngulns swim with
 their wings and steer with their tails
 Whales used to live on dry land and
 crawl about on four feet, When they
 took to the water they found 1t con
 vouent to develop tails with a vertical
 instead of a horizontal sweep. This
 helped them to shoot up quickly from
 the ocean depths to get air The ali.