Commentary for Shabbat 154:9

מ"ט קרנא דקמצא רכיכא משום דדיירא בחילפי ואי קשיא גדיא ומתעוורא דאמר שמואל האי מאן דבעי דליסמיה לקמצא לשלופינהו לקרני' מ"ט האי תימרא דתרנגולתא מדלי לעילא דדיירי אדפי ואי עייל קטרא מתעוורא דשא דרך שם דרגא דרך גג מתכוליתא מתי תכלה דא ביתא בא ואיתיב בה ביקתא בי עקתא

Why are the latter covered, while the former are uncovered?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Sheep have thick tails, which cover their hind parts; but goats have a thin tail. ');">²²</span> — Those with whose [material] we cover ourselves are themselves covered, whilst those wherewith we do not cover ourselves are uncovered. Why is a camel's tail short? — Because it eats thorns.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A long tail would become entangled in the thorns. ');">²³</span> Why is an ox's tail long? — Because it grazes in meadows and must beat off the gnats [with its tail]. Why is the proboscis of a locust soft [flexible]? Because it dwells among willows, and if it were hard [non-flexible] it [the proboscis] would be dislocated and it [the locust] would go blind. For Samuel said: If one wishes to blind a locust, let him extract its proboscis. Why is a fowl's [lower] eyelid bent upwards?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rashi: When its eyes are closed the lower eyelid turns upwards and lies upon the upper. ');">²⁴</span>

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