Reading.
The breed of cats without tails is well known in the Isle of Man, and
accounted by the people of the island one of its chief curiosities.
These cats are sought after by strangers: the natives call them
"Rumpies," or "Rumpy Cats." Their hind legs are rather longer than those
of cats with tails, and give them a somewhat rabbit-like aspect, which
has given rise to the odd fancy that they are the descendants of a cross
between a rabbit and cat. They are good mousers. When a perfectly
tailless cat is crossed with an ordinary-tailed individual, the progeny
exhibit all intermediate states between tail and no tail.