TAILS AND THEIR USES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIX, 31 January 1936, Page 10

TAILS AND THEIR USES

A cat lashes its tail from side to side when angry. When friendly, he holds it over his back. Lions and tigers belong to the cat family. They use their tails in just the same way as a cat when they are pleased or angry. The rabbit uses the white powder-puff of his tail to warn his friends when danger is near. He will first give three beats on the ground to attract his friends’ attention, then he will scurry away, the white bobbing of his tail showing his friends the way to safety. One of the first lessons which Mother Rabbit teaches her young is to follow the white tuft of her tail

Cows, horses and donkeys use their long tails to swish away the flies in summer.

The kangaroo’s fail is especially strong. It helps him in his long leaps, and lie may even sit upon it when he is tired. The squirrel’s tail, or plume, helps him to balance when he runs and jumps among the trees. Monkeys swing from bough to hough, helped by their tails. Birds’'tails, composed of longer feathers than those on the rest, of the body, act as propellers when the birds are flying. They also act as brakes, so that the birds will not make a too-rapid descent.