How Brer Rabbit Lost His Fine Bushy Tail
In this pourquoi tale explaining why rabbits have short tails, Brer Rabbit once had a long, beautiful, bushy tail that he showed off constantly. Brer Fox grew tired of Brer Rabbit's vanity and devised a plan. During a cold winter, Brer Fox went ice fishing and called out to Brer Rabbit, showing him a string of fish he had caught. Brer Rabbit, greedy for the fish, asked how to catch them himself. Brer Fox told him to cut a hole in the ice, dip his beautiful tail in, and sit there until the fish bit—then pull up the tail with a mighty jerk. Brer Rabbit sat all day until his tail froze solid in t