22 SYSTEM OF KENNEL AND 



that "where woodlands abound, the tips of their 

 sterns or tails are whipped quite bare of hair 

 by covert work, and present not only an unseemly 

 but mangy appearance : hence the desirability of 

 shortening sail or tail. We do not apprehend that 

 the strength of any animal, save the kangaroo, lies 

 in its tail ; and Americans do say that this part of 

 kangaroo meat is far superior to rump steaks or ox- 

 tail soup. Never having partaken of this delicacy, 

 we are not in a position to contravene such an 

 opinion. Lambs'-tail pie is not bad to those who 

 like such things, and puppies' tails are considered 

 great delicacies by aristocratic Chinamen. As 

 lambs' tails, however, are not cut off solely on 

 account of their supplying savoury meat to epicu- 

 rean palates, but for a widely different purpose, — to 

 prevent their being draggled through dirty fallows, 

 and thereby raising a hotbed for maggot flies to de- 

 posit their ova, — so we consider very long sterns 

 to foxhounds objectionable. 



As soon as the whelps begin to feed themselves, 

 the mother should be shut up for an hour or two 

 after she is fed, or by a natural instinct she will 

 cast up her food to her whelps. All young animals, 

 as well as birds, require frequent feeding — a little 

 at a time and often — three times at least during 

 the day, — morning, mid- day, and evening. Some 

 whelps are more greedy than others, but none 

 should be allowed to feed to distension. Gorging 

 them with a quantity of food is productive of much 

 mischief. In their natural state, animals and birds 

 are generally free from those diseases which are 



