Chapter I (2)

Notwithstanding their formidable armour, the Hedgehogs have other enemies besides man. Dogs will attack them, but not often with success, unless we may believe in their employing the _ruse_ already alluded to, which is also said to have suggested itself to the cunning mind of Reynard. But the Foxes are said to adopt another mode of dealing with their wished-for prey. When they meet with a rolled-up Hedgehog they will, it is said, roll him along till they come to some water, into which they drop the unfortunate little animal, and then seize him during his struggles to escape drowning. On the continent of Europe the Great Horned Owl or Eagle Owl (_Bubo maximus_) is described as an inveterate enemy of the Hedgehog.

The female Hedgehog goes with young about seven weeks. Before bringing her progeny into the world, she selects some more or less sheltered situation in a hedge-bottom or thicket, or sometimes in a corn-field, in which she constructs a nest of moss and leaves, so well put together, that even when otherwise unprotected, its roof suffices to throw off the rain. The young, which vary in number from three to seven or eight, are, when first born, about three inches long, white, blind, and quite naked, except that they already possess the rudiments of their spines, which are then quite soft and flexible. In about four-and-twenty hours the spines have grown to a length of one-sixth of an inch, and acquired some hardness. The young animals, according to Gilbert White, have little hanging ears, and he adds that “they can in part draw their skin down over their faces, but are not able to contract themselves into a ball.” In about a month the young have acquired nearly the colour of their parents, and are then taken out by the mother to feed, although she still suckles them for a time.

In captivity, if kindly treated, the Hedgehog soon becomes familiar. He takes readily to almost any diet, and, according to Dr. Ball, he will even partake of intoxicating liquors, which, curiously enough, seem to have the effect of making him immediately quite tame, after passing through a period of inebriety, during which his gestures and proceedings have a most ludicrous resemblance to those of a drunken man.

THE LONG-EARED HEDGEHOG.[262]

This species has the ears much larger and the muzzle longer than in the Common Hedgehog, and its legs also are longer and not so stout. The tail is very short. The spines, which are marked with from twenty to twenty-two little furrows, are white at the base, brown in the middle, and yellowish at the tip; the head is covered with hair of a dirty whitish colour; and on each side of the mouth there are four rows of long brown whiskers. This animal is only about two-thirds the size of the European Hedgehog. It is found in the western part of Asiatic Russia, especially about the Caspian, in Tartary, and Siberia. It does not occur in Persia, according to Mr. Blanford, although included by Schmarda in his list of the animals of Mesopotamia. It inhabits the province of Astrakhan, in south Russia, which makes it a European species. Very little is known of the habits of the Long-eared Hedgehog, but from that little it would appear to agree in most, if not all respects, with its European relative.

Several other species of Hedgehogs have been described, the majority of them from the Asiatic continent, reaching even to the district of the Amoor, from which Schrenck described one under the name of _Erinaceus amurensis_, which is supposed by Mr. Bell to be a variety of the Common Hedgehog. Mr. Blanford describes a peculiar Persian species with large ears and long spines (_E. macracanthus_). and Mr. Blyth another from Candahar (_E. megalotis_). Several Indian species are noticed by various authors, and some of these seem to be widely distributed, such as

THE COLLARED HEDGEHOG,[263]

whose range extends from Madras to Candahar and Afghanistan. It is about eight or nine inches long, and has the spines irregularly interwoven, ringed with white and black, with the tips yellow, of simply white and black, or black with a white ring in the middle; the ears, which are tolerably large, and the chin, are white; and the belly and legs pale brown.

Of this, and two other species observed by him in Candahar, Captain Hutton says:--“They are nocturnal, and during the day conceal themselves in holes, or in the tufts of high jungle grass. Their food consists of insects, chiefly of a small Beetle, which is abundant on the sandy tracts of Bhawlpore, and belongs to the genus _Blaps_. They also feed on Lizards and Snails. When touched they have the habit of suddenly jerking up the back with some force, so as to prick the fingers or mouth of the assailant, and at the same time emitting a blowing sound, not unlike the noise produced when blowing upon a flame with a pair of bellows.” They have as complete a power of rolling themselves into a ball as the European Hedgehog.

One species of the genus, the Concolorous Hedgehog (_E. concolor_), appears to be peculiar to Asia Minor; others are found in Egypt, Algeria, the Sahara, and other parts of North Africa; and two are recorded from the Cape of Good Hope.

THE BULAU.[264]

We shall find, as we advance with our examination of the Insectivorous Mammals, that the characters presented by these creatures, especially in their anatomical structure, are in many instances so curiously combined that it becomes a matter of considerable difficulty to decide to what particular family a given animal should be referred, the external and structural peculiarities often pointing in two different directions, but generally tending in a remarkable manner in these anomalous forms towards the great family of the Shrews, which may be regarded as the central types of the whole order. This is the case with the Bulau (_Gymnura Rafflesii_), a curious animal which was originally discovered in Sumatra by Sir Stamford Raffles, and described by him as a Civet, under the name of _Viverra gymnura_. Vigors and Horsfield in England, and Lesson in France, recognised its distinctness from the Civets, and formed it into a separate genus under the name of _Gymnura_, designating the species after its discoverer, and this name has been generally adopted, although De Blainville afterwards proposed to call the genus _Echinosorex_, and to retain Raffles’ specific name.

De Blainville’s name may be taken to express in general terms the peculiar characters of the animal, which is a Hedgehog-like Shrew, or a Shrew-like Hedgehog, the latter being the more correct term. The Bulau, as Professor Gervais says, is “a Hedgehog, with the body, and especially the head, more elongated than in those already described, with flexible hairs, and furnished with a tail which is nearly naked, and as long as the body.” It has also a larger number of teeth, there being forty-four in all, namely, on each side, in each jaw, three incisors, one canine (that in the upper jaw with two roots), and seven premolars and molars which closely resemble those of the true Hedgehogs. On the back few stiff bristles are mingled with the softer hairs, as if to give a sort of indication of the animal’s relationship to the Hedgehogs; but it has no power of rolling itself up into a ball.

1. TENDRAC. 2. TELFAIR’S TENDRAC. 3. TANREC.
]

The Bulau has a long, round, tapering, scaly tail, almost like that of a Rat, but with a greater number of scattered stiff hairs among the scales. Its head is long, and its muzzle produced into a short proboscis. Its legs are rather short, and its feet, which are adapted to plantigrade progression, are furnished with five toes, each armed with a curved and pointed claw. The general colour of the body and limbs is black or greyish-black, with the head and neck pale or whitish, and with a black streak over each eye; the tail is blackish at the base, whitish at the tip. The length of the Bulau is about twenty-six inches, of which the tail occupies twelve. Besides Sumatra, this curious animal, which may be regarded as a connecting link between the Hedgehogs and the Shrews, has been met with in the peninsula of Malacca, and in Borneo, and the neighbouring island of Sarawak. The specimens from Sarawak and the mainland of Borneo opposite Labuan are said by Dr. Günther to be all white, with only a portion of the longest and strongest hairs on the body black. Of the habits of the Bulau nothing appears to be recorded.

Professor Gill is inclined to place that almost equally curious animal, _Hylomys suillus_ (see p. 350), in juxtaposition with the Bulau.

FAMILY V.--CENTETIDÆ, OR TANRECS.

The animals of this family usually have the back more or less armed with fine spines or bristles among the softer hair, the legs short, the feet five-toed, plantigrade, and the tail very short or altogether wanting, except in one anomalous genus. They are all furnished with external ears. The skull is rather elongated, approximately cylindrical, and has no zygomatic arches. The tympanic bone does not form a bubble-like protuberance; and the molar teeth are narrow, and form more or less regular triangular prisms. The number of teeth is variable. The clavicles (collar-bones) are well developed; the two bones of the shank (_tibia_ and _fibula_) are separate; and the intestine has no cæcum.

With the single exception of the curious genus _Solenodon_, the position of which was long regarded as very doubtful, but which is now placed in this family, the Centetidæ are confined to the Madagascar region, which bears so many other peculiar types of animals. Their food appears to consist chiefly of worms and insects, but doubtless, like their relations the Hedgehogs, they will seize upon any small animal that comes in their way. The species are not numerous.

THE TANREC.[265]

The Tanrec, or Tangue, which is the best-known species of the family, is entirely destitute of tail. It has a long, pointed muzzle, small ears, and short legs; the five-toed feet are armed with strong claws, and the body is not capable of being contracted into a ball; the angle of the lower jaw is slightly bent inwards; and the teeth are forty in number, there being on each side, in each jaw, three incisors, one canine, three premolars, and three true molars. The canines, both above and below, are of exceedingly large size; those of the lower jaw are received into deep pits in the sides of the intermaxillary bone; while those of the upper jaw project downwards on each side of time lower jaw. These are the characters of the genus _Centetes_.

The Tanrec (its figure will be seen in Plate 11) measures about fifteen or sixteen inches in length, of which nearly one-third is made up by the elongated head. Its body is covered with a mixture of bristles, hairs, and more or less flexible spines, the latter being especially strong about the nape and sides of the neck, where they measure about one-fifth of an inch in length, and form a sort of crest or collar. The spines are longer and more flexible on the body, where they are mixed with bristles, which prevail especially on the back, and these measure sometimes as much as two inches long. The belly and limbs are clothed with short hair. All these dermal appendages are yellowish, with the middle brown, giving the animal a general tawny colour, which is paler or yellowish on the limbs. The face is brownish and the long whiskers which spring from each side of the muzzle are of a dark brown colour. This is the general coloration of the species, which, however, varies occasionally. The young are said to be brown with yellow longitudinal streaks, which disappear with age.

This animal occurs abundantly not only in Madagascar, but also in the small islands of Nossi-falie, Nossi-bé, and St. Marie, and it has been introduced into Mayotte, Réunion, and the Mauritius. It passes one-half of the year in a state of torpidity, and this not in the hot season, as has been supposed, but in the colder part of the year. About May or June the Tanrecs dig themselves holes, in which they sleep until December, with their heads comfortably tucked away between the hind legs. Their burrows are generally betrayed by the presence of a small heap of earth or moss thrown up at the entrance, and as the animals are at this time very fat, and regarded as great delicacies by the natives of Madagascar and the Creoles of Réunion, they are then pursued with great avidity. Their flesh is said by some people to be preferable to Sucking-pig; but others complain that it has a musky flavour. In Madagascar the inhabitants hunt the Tanrecs with Dogs trained expressly for the purpose.

The number destroyed for food seems to be very great; but the fecundity of the animal is such as to compensate even for this violent persecution. The female is said to produce from twelve to sixteen young at a birth, and she is described as taking the greatest care of her progeny. As soon as the young Tanrecs can run about, she takes them with her in search of food, and will then defend them bravely against every danger, allowing herself to be killed rather than be separated from her family.

The Tanrecs--or Tangues, as they are called by M. Pollen--live chiefly in the mountains, in places covered with mosses, ferns, and bushes. Their food consists principally of earthworms, which they rout out by means of their feet and pointed snouts, using the latter after the fashion of a Pig. Insects also form a part of their diet; and, like the Hedgehog, they are said to feed upon certain fruits and roots. In captivity they will eat raw meat, and are also said to be fond of bananas. Their habits are nocturnal; they sleep nearly all the day, and come forth in full activity only at night.

Several other supposed species of this genus have been described, but only one of them appears to be really distinct, namely, the Streaked Tanrec (_C. semispinosus_), which is described as about the size of a Mole, and streaked with black and yellow. It also inhabits Madagascar. It forms the genus _Hemicentetes_ of Professor Mivart.

THE TENDRAC.[266]

An animal much more like a Hedgehog than the preceding, having the body covered with spines almost as formidable as those of the Common Hedgehog, and also possessing the power of rolling itself into a ball, is the Tendrac of Madagascar (its figure will be seen in Plate 11). It has been formed into a separate genus (_Ericulus_), distinguished by the above peculiarities, by the presence of only two pairs of incisor teeth in each jaw, by its canine teeth possessing two roots and a second small cusp to the crown, and by its possession of a short tail like that of the Hedgehog. The total number of teeth is thirty-six. The Tendrac is about one-third less than our Common Hedgehog, which it closely resembles in appearance, and in the form of its muzzle, ears, tail, and feet. Its general tint is blackish, its spines being black, with the tips white or reddish. In its habits it resembles the Tanrec.

Telfair’s Tendrac (_Echinops Telfairi_) is another little Hedgehog-like inhabitant of Madagascar, where, according to Mr. Telfair, its discoverer, it goes by the native name of _Sokinah_ (its figure will be seen in Plate 11). In its general characters it closely resembles _Ericulus_, but has only two premolars on each side in each jaw, and the two intermediate upper incisors are much longer than the others. It is the only known species of its genus. Its length is about five inches; it has a short pointed snout, a very short tail, and ears of moderate size, and rounded; its colour above is brownish, and beneath dingy white, and the upper surface is thickly covered with sharp spines, which are whitish at the base, and chestnut brown at the tips. All the feet are five-toed.

THE RICE TENDRIL.[267]

In 1870, M. Grandidier described a small Tendrac which he had obtained at Ankaye and Antsianak in Madagascar, and which he says inflicts enormous injury upon the rice-crops, by burrowing in the earth, and rooting up the young plants. The native name, “valavou fontsi,” is said to refer to this destructive habit of the animal, and, we presume, has the same meaning as the name given by M. Grandidier to the genus which he established for it.

The Rice Tendrac has the snout produced into a short trunk, at the extremity of which the nostrils are situated. The eyes are very small, and the ears rounded and of moderate size. The teeth are forty in number, as in the Tanrec. The animal is plantigrade; the hind feet have five, and the fore feet four toes, and those of the latter are armed with very strong curved claws, which are doubtless of great service in the burrowing operations alluded to above.

The Rice Tendrac is of a greyish-brown colour. Its tail is short, clothed with long hairs at the base, but naked in the last two thirds, which exhibit a ringed appearance. It must be abundant in Madagascar, but M. Grandidier records nothing of its habits beyond the charge he makes of injury to the rice-crops. This is no doubt effected by the animal when burrowing in pursuit of insects and worms.

THE EARED EARTH SHREW.[268]

The curious series of animals included under the family Centetidæ is united in a remarkable, manner by the intervention of a little creature about the size of a Mouse, discovered in Madagascar, and described by MM. A. Milne-Edwards and Grandidier under the name of _Geogale aurita_. At the first glance it might be taken for a true Shrew. It has a long head, although the snout is not prolonged, the nostrils open at the sides of the nose; the mouth is large, the ears are of large size, membranous, and naked, and apparently capable of folding up at the will of the animal so as to close the aperture of the ear, and the tail, which is shorter than the body, is covered with a finely-ringed skin, over which are scattered very short brownish hairs. These characters, as is remarked by the describers, give the animal somewhat the aspect of a little Opossum. The teeth are thirty-four in number; there appear to be six incisors in each jaw; the canines are very small, and the molars especially resemble those of _Solenodon_.

This little animal has the upper part of the body and head rather thinly covered with short greyish hairs, and the lower parts greyish-white. The sides of the muzzle bear long, brownish moustaches. Specimens were obtained in two localities in Madagascar (Mouroundava and Tullear), and in both cases they were found in the ground disturbed by pulling up the posts of a palisade, so that it may be inferred that this species hunts worms and larvæ in the earth, an operation in which the faculty of folding the external ears over their orifice would certainly be useful to it.

THE AGOUTA.[269]

Several years ago (in 1833) Professor Brandt, of St. Petersburg, described a singular animal from St. Domingo, which was particularly interesting, both as being the only known representative of the Insectivorous Mammalia in the tropical regions of America, and also on account of its own extraordinary character. It was an animal of about the size of a small Rabbit, the head and body measuring about a foot in length, but the muzzle was drawn out into a sort of trunk or proboscis, at the sides of which, near the tip, the nostrils were situated; the body terminated behind in a naked, rat-like tail, rather more than eight inches in length; whilst the feet, which were decidedly plantigrade, and each furnished with five toes, had the latter armed with curved, compressed claws of formidable dimensions, especially on the fore feet. The dentition clearly showed the animal to be insectivorous, but its characters were so peculiar that Brandt seems to have regarded it as a sort of intermediate form between the Shrews and the Marsupial Opossums.

Subsequent investigations have shown that, odd as this animal may be, its place is undoubtedly among the true Insectivora; and Professor Peters, of Berlin, by a consideration of its characters, and especially of those of the skeleton, arrived at the conclusion that it is most nearly related to the Tanrecs of Madagascar, widely separated as that land is from the West Indian home of the Agouta.

Professor Brandt established a distinct genus for the reception of the animal described by him, which he called _Solenodon paradoxus_--the generic name referring to the peculiar channelled structure of the outer incisors in the lower jaw--the specific name to the paradoxical nature of the animal itself. Professor Peters’ interpretation of the dentition, which was long a subject of doubt, is now generally accepted, and according to this, there are in the front of the upper jaw two large, acute incisors, with a smaller one placed a little further back on each side; and in the middle of the lower jaw two very small incisors, with immediately on each side of them one of the large canine-like teeth, with a deep groove or channel on the inner surface, which have already been alluded to. Behind these teeth come in each jaw a canine, four premolars, and three true molars, so that the dental formula, according to this view, is--incisors, (1–2–1)/(4), canines, (1–1)/(1–1), premolars, (4–4)/(4–4), and molars, (3–3)/(3–3), making forty teeth in all.

The premaxillary bones extend some little distance in front of the roots of the upper incisor teeth, but the nose itself is prolonged considerably beyond them, forming a long, slender proboscis. The eyes are small, and the ears of moderate size, and rounded; the body is covered with rather stiff hairs, which, however, leave the hinder part, from the root of the tail downwards, almost naked; the tail is long, tapering, and ringed, with a few scattered, very short hairs; the legs are of moderate length, and the feet, all of which have five toes, are nearly naked, or covered only with short hair.

The Agouta, or _Solenodon_ of St. Domingo, has the face, head, and upper parts brown, becoming blackish behind and on the thighs; the sides of the head and neck lighter brown, with a mixture of red and grey; the belly and feet tawny brown; the breast bright rust colour; and the tail greyish towards the base, and white towards the tip.

Of the habits of this animal, long supposed to be the only species of its genus, nothing is recorded; but its teeth very clearly indicate a carnivorous or insectivorous diet, and its habits, in all probability, resemble those of the following species.

THE ALMIQUI.[270]

In 1838, or nearly five years after the publication of Professor Brandt’s description of the preceding animal, Professor Poey, of Havana, detected the existence of a _Solenodon_ in some of the mountainous parts of the island of Cuba. He identified it with Brandt’s species, and noticed it under the name of _Solenodon paradoxus_, in his “Natural History of Cuba,” which appeared in 1851. Later, however, Professor Peters, having procured a specimen from Cuba, and compared it with the one from St. Domingo in the museum at St. Petersburg, found that the two animals were quite distinct, and described the Almiqui of Professor Poey under the name of _Solenodon cubanus_.

The Cuban animal is of nearly the same size as that from St. Domingo, measuring in a straight line from the point of the nose to the root of the tail a little more than eleven inches. Of this the head makes about 4⅔ inches. The stout, scaly tail is 7⅗ inches in length. The hairs of the general surface of the body are very long, and form a sort of cloak for the animal, leaving its hinder part bare in a very singular manner. The colours are rather different in the Cuban species. The whole of the head, the neck, the chest, and the sides of the belly are tawny or yellowish, and the rest of the body, a streak on the nape of the neck, and another in the middle of the belly, are brown or blackish-brown. The legs are clothed with hair like that on the body, but shorter; and the upper surface of the feet has a scanty covering of short hairs which allow the skin to appear through them, and even this ceases towards the extremities of the toes. The teats in both species are situated on the groin.

The Cuban _Solenodon_ is found in the mountains near Trinidad and Bayamo, in the southern and western parts of the island of Cuba. It is a nocturnal animal, coming forth late in the afternoon or in the evening, and amusing itself with various gambols during the night. It appears to be a predaceous animal, and in captivity shows signs of great excitement when a fowl or other animal passes by its cage. According to one observer, it will tear a chicken to pieces in a moment with its strong claws. At sight of a possible prey the long hair of its body stands on end. When sleeping during the day it seeks some corner in which it can stow away its head, and seems then to think that it is in a place of security, for when pursued it takes refuge in a shelter of the same kind, and will remain there until it is captured by seizing its tail. When disturbed in its repose it expresses its displeasure by grunting; and its ordinary voice, which is said to be very penetrating, is described as something between the grunt of a Pig and the cry of a bird. When enjoying itself at night it sometimes hoots like an Owl.

The occurrence of these two animals in the large West Indian islands is an exceedingly remarkable fact in the geographical distribution of animals, when we consider that in the general opinion of zoologists their nearest relations are the Tanrecs of Madagascar, and the _Potamogale_ or River Shrew of some West African rivers. Professor Peters indeed remarks that the circumstance is the less surprising, as a certain type of Iguanidæ, otherwise peculiar to America, is represented in Madagascar, where also are found species belonging to two American genera of Snakes. But this does not explain the phenomenon. Mr. Andrew Murray maintains that the relationship of _Solenodon_ is rather with the Shrews than with the present family, and, in fact, that they are peculiar and gigantic Shrews, which would certainly lessen the difficulty, seeing that there are plenty of Shrews in North America; but his arguments are by no means conclusive. Mr. Wallace, alluding to the occurrence in Europe of fossil remains referred to the Centetidæ, regards this as a case of a type formerly very widely distributed being now broken up, and represented only at or near the two extremities of its greatest range.

FAMILY VI.--POTAMOGALIDÆ.

This family includes only a single species, so that its characters may be indicated as part of the description of the animal itself, namely:--

THE WEST AFRICAN RIVER SHREW.[271]

(_From Transactions, Zool. Soc._)]

This was originally described by its discoverer, M. Du Chaillu, as a Carnivore, under the name of _Cynogale velox_, but as its characters were very doubtful, the name _Potamogale_, was suggested for it in case of its proving to belong to a distinct genus. The late Dr. Gray described it as a Rodent under the name of _Mythomys_. Some years later Professor Allman and Professor Barboza du Bocage procured perfect specimens, and proved the animal to belong to the Insectivora, the latter naturalist describing it under the new name of _Bayonia velox_. Thus within a few years it received no less than three different names.

When the Insectivorous nature of Du Chaillu’s River Shrew was ascertained, it was found to be most nearly allied to the Centetidæ or Tanrecs, with special affinities to the West Indian Solenodons. It is, however, generally regarded as constituting a distinct family, characterised among other things by the less cylindrical skull, the absence of clavicles, the union of the two bones of the shank towards the extremity, the presence of anal glands, and the compressed form of the tail. The teeth, as in the true Tanrecs, are forty in number, but the molars differ considerably in form, as will be seen from the annexed figures.

This little beast, that has given rise to so much discussion among zoologists, and received so many names, is only a little larger than our common Stoat, measuring about nine inches in length, exclusive of the powerful tail, which is of about the same length. In its appearance it very much reminds one of a miniature Otter, from which, however, it differs considerably in the form of the head, which terminates in a broad flattened muzzle, having its sides furnished with a most luxuriant crop of stiff bristle-like whiskers. The hair of the upper part of the body and limbs is brown and soft, although rather coarse and that of the lower surface yellowish; and the coat consists of two kinds of hairs, namely, an inner coat of very fine short silky hairs, through which longer hairs of a very peculiar structure project. These long hairs are very thin at the bulb, and increase very gradually in thickness for about one-third of their length, when they suddenly contract a little, and then expand into a flat lance-shaped blade, which terminates in a very fine point. This coarser fur covers the whole body, the thick root of the tail, and the upper part of the limbs; the rest of the tail, the under side of the muzzle, and the upper surface of the feet are clothed with short, close hairs. The ears are of moderate size, the eyes very small, and the toes on all the feet five in number, armed with small sharp claws, and without webs, but the second and third toes on the hind feet are united as far as the end of the first phalanx.

The most remarkable peculiarity of the animal is its tail, which presents a most unusual development for an Insectivorous Mammal. Professor Allman says, “It is so thick at its base that the trunk seems uninterruptedly continued into it; but it soon becomes laterally compressed, and then grows gradually thinner and narrower towards the tip.... Its lower edge is rounded, and its upper is continued into a membranous crest about one-eighth of an inch in height, and clothed with the same short, stiff, appressed hairs” as the rest of the tail.

This great development of the tail might of itself convince us that this organ is of great service to its owner, and such, from the account of the habits of the animal given by its discoverer, is evidently the case. M. Du Chaillu says:--“This extraordinary animal is found in the mountains of the interior, or in the hilly country explored by me north and south of the equator. It is found along the water-courses of limpid and clear streams, where fish are abundant. It hides under rocks along these streams, lying in wait for fish. It swims through the water with a rapidity which astonished me; before the fish has time to move it is caught. On account of the rapidity of its movements, I have given it the specific name of _velox_. The animal returns to land with its prey almost as rapidly as it started from its place of concealment. The great motive power of the animal in the water seems to be in its tail.”