Northern Observations of Inland Birds 113 



exists to deceive the eye of the pouncing fox, and Reynard's 

 own coveted brush is his traveUing cloak and foot- 

 warmer. The bushy tail of the squirrel is his parachute, 

 and the white bunch of fluff which Brer Rabbit carries 

 astern is his semaphore signal, by which he unwittingly 

 telegraphs the approach of danger to his fellow colonists. 

 The moorhen is equipped with conspicuous white feathers 

 in its tail, which answer a very useful purpose. 



It has often been said that the tail of the rabbit and that 

 of the moorhen exist for one and the same purpose, which 

 is true so far as it goes, but no further. The rabbit's 

 tail, as already said, is chiefly a danger signal. It may 

 sometimes be useful as a beacon in the darkness which 

 shows, or rather leads the way, but not often. It certainly 

 is not for the young to follow, as young rabbits seldom 

 follow their parents, for by the time they are old enough 

 to venture far from the home burrow their mother, in 

 all probability, is busy with another family, and the 

 young have entirely lost sight of her. Moreover, adult 

 rabbits have seldom need of a leader, for each is well 

 acquainted with its home range and has learnt to look 

 after itself. 



The white tail of the moorhen, on the other hand, is 

 primarily a mark of location. So far as one can judge it 

 is of little value as a means of telegraphing the news of 

 danger, as is the white rump of the antelope. When 

 danger threatens, indeed, and the bird runs rapidly 

 away or rises in flight, the white tail feathers are not 

 seen ; it is when the bird is proceeding quietly about the 

 aflFairs of its daily life that they are so much in evidence. 

 I have, indeed, many times located a moorhen by the 

 bobbing white tail as it swam secretively in and out among 

 the dense entanglement overshadowing its home pond, 

 for the bird has a curious habit of perpetually jerking 

 this member as it swims. It is to be noticed that this 



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