Observations of a Mer-Ichthyologist

Madeleine has an Ariel doll (as in "The Little Mermaid") that goes pretty-much everywhere that Madeleine goes.  It's about a foot long, with a beautiful blue tail and striking reddish-orange hair.

Ian, in his capacity as an amateur zoologist, noted last night - factually, and without any finger-pointing - that Ariel actually has a whale-tale, rather than a fish-tale.

How does he know?

Fish tales move sideways; Ariel's tale moves up and down, like a whale's.

I asked him:  "Where did you hear that - or is it something you observed?"

"It's something I observed."

(June 11, 2012)