The emu or emeu (Dromaius Novoe Hollandioe) is a large, ostrich-like flightless bird found in the plains of Australia where it eats fruits, vegetable matter, roots etc. The emu resembles the cassowary in its vestigial wings and double- plumed feathers, but differing in the absence of the helmet, wattles, and spine-like quills on the wings. It nearly equals the ostrich in bulk, being thicker in the body, though its legs and neck are shorter. Its feet are three-toed (the ostrich has two toes), and its feathers, which are double, are of a dull sooty-brown colour, those about the, neck and head being of a hairy texture. Unusually the female emu is larger, more pugnacious and noisier than the male, resembling in demeanour the cock of other species of bird.
The wings are small and useless for flight, but the bird can run with great speed, and emu coursing as a sport was formerly very popular and led to a drastic reduction in the numbers of emus during the 19th century.
The feathers of the emu are used in industry for dust removal, for instance in the manufacture of motor vehicles, vehicles are passed through rollers covered in emu feathers to remove dust particles from the vehicle prior to it being painted - by 2008 no synthetic substance having been found which is as effective at dust removal. Research Emu
The Greyhound is a variety of dog distinguished by a greater length of muzzle than any other; very low forehead, short lips, thin and long legs, small muscles, contracted belly and semi pendant ears.
There are several varieties, as the Irish greyhound, the Scottish, the Russian, the Italian, and the Turkish. The common greyhound is of an elegant make of body, and is universally known as the fleetest of dogs. A good hound has a fine, soft, flexible skin, with thin, silky hair, a great length of nose, contracting gradually from the eye to the nostril, a full, clear, and penetrating eye, small ears, erect head, long neck, chest capacious, deep, but not wide, shoulders deep and placed obliquely, ribs well arched, contracted belly and flank, a great depth from the hips to the hocks of the hind-legs, fore-legs straight, and shorter than the hinder. The name appears to have no reference to the colour, but is derived from the Icelandic grey, a dog.
Greyhounds were originally used for coursing, for which their peculiar shape, strength, keenness of sight and speed make them exceedingly well fitted, but are now bred for racing, being the fastest running dogs. As a pet Greyhounds are very gentle and affectionate - but should be kept away from small mammals such as pet rabbits - but require wide open spaces to run about in. Research Greyhound
The Ibizan hound is a breed of dog, possibly descended from greyhound-like dogs of pre-Christian Egypt, developed in more recent centuries on the island of Ibiza. It became a strong, hardy breed, able to hunt with speed and skill, to jump unusually well, and to withstand hardships. Its keen eyesight makes it good for standing watch as well as for coursing game. The Ibizan has a long, narrow head and muzzle; small, yellowish-brown eyes; large, mobile ears; and long, slightly arched neck. The back is horizontal, the legs long, and the tail long and somewhat curved. Its weight ranges from 19 to 23 kg; average height is from 57 to 70 cm. The coat is generally short and lies flat, but there is also a wire-haired variety, and the colour may be white, red, yellowish red, or combinations of these. The breed is easy to train and affectionate. Research Ibizan Hound
The whippet is a British breed of dog produced by crossing a hybrid of a fox- terrier and a greyhound with an Italian greyhound. Whippets are used for coursing rabbits, especially in the north of England where the breed evolved. Whippets are quiet, responsive dogs sensitive to the cold. Research Whippet
Blood may escape from the blood vessels as a result of injury. Capillaries are fractured by simple abrasion, veins with their very fragile walls are easily torn, while arteries are usually injured by a cut, either accidental or intentional. Infective or malignant disease, as it eats its way through tissues, may invade the wall of a blood vessel which subsequently gives way allowing free escape of blood. In the case of capillaries and veins, the inflammatory process involving the vessel usually sets up thrombosis so that haemorrhage does not occur. With arteries, while thrombosis may sometimes occur as the result of the inflammation, severe haemorrhage frequently follows erosion.
Perhaps the most common site of such arterial haemorrhage is in the base of a gastric ulcer. Because of the inflammation in the walls of the artery which may be coursing through the base of the ulcer, the vessel is prevented from contracting, and when it bursts the hole is held rigidly open with resultant severe and sometimes fatal haematemesis (vomiting of blood). High blood pressure is frequently associated with disease of the walls of the arteries, which lose their elasticity. In most parts of the body, the arteries are surrounded by fairly firm tissues which tend to support them, but this is not the case in the brain which is the most common site for the rupture of small arteries. Such cerebral haemorrhage is responsible for one form of apoplexy. The wall of an artery may be weak from injury, from congenital defect or from disease, and instead of it bursting it develops a large bulge which continues to increase in size as the years go by. The surrounding tissues become eroded by the continuous beating of the artery and eventually the stretched-out thin-walled sac bursts. This arterial bulge is known as aneurism. A congenital form occurs near the base of the brain. Aneurism follows gun-shot wounds in the region of arteries and the aorta undergoes a similar change as the result of arterio-sclerosis or syphilis. Research The Cause of Bleeding
Coursing is the pursuit of game by dogs running by sight, not by scent. Modern coursing is mainly restricted to greyhound racing where the object is not to catch the hare, but rather a race of speed between the dogs. The first known set of English rules for coursing was drawn up in the reign of Elizabeth I by the Duke of Norfolk.
Coursing meetings were held in various localities, at which dogs were entered for a variety of stakes, as horses are at a racemeeting. When a hare was started it was allowed a certain advance on the dogs, which were then let loose from the 'slips' or cords held by the 'slipper' and fastened to the dogs' collars. A judge kept his eyes on the dogs, and noted what were called 'points,' the victory being adjudged to the dog which makes the most 'points.' Research Coursing
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Research Emu
