214 THE REASON WHY : 



&quot; Nor with less waste the whisker&quot; 1 d vermin race, 

 A countless clan, destroy the lowland caue.&quot; GKAINOKR. 



amongst the brown heaths and fern of the summer and autumn, 

 would be too conspicuous by contrast for the safety of the animals 

 amongst the winter snow. 



640. Why are certain quadrupeds such as the argali 

 (mountain sheep of Armenia), the hare, and the sable, furnished 

 with a mixed coating of hair and wool ? 



Because, while wool preserves the animal heat in winter, an outef 

 covering of hair is required to throw off moisture ; and without the 

 latter these animals would suffer both from wet, and from the 

 underwood through which they have to force their path. 



641. Why is there so much bleating and confusion among sheep 

 after the ewes and lambs have been shorn? 



After this operation, neither the dams nor the young are able to 

 distinguish one another as before. The embarrassment arises 

 not alone from the loss of the fleece, which may occasion 

 an alteration in their appearance, but from a defect in the odour, 

 by which animals discriminate each individual personally. The 

 confusion is also the greater on account of the strong scent of the 

 tar or other substance wherewith they are newly marked. 



642. Why are some species of animals furnished with bristly 

 hairs, called whiskers ? 



Because the skin of the upper lip, from which these hairs grow, 

 is so very sensitive as to feel the slightest bending or touch of any 

 one of those hairs ; and by this means they act as very important 

 instruments in keeping the animal free from contact with obstacles, 

 while it is advancing with its eye fixed intently on its prey. 



643. Why is the situation of the nose eminently adapted to its 

 uses in all animals ? 



Being turned downwards in all animals to which smell is 

 important, it receives the ascending effluvia. Being situated newt 



