Tack

[Celt.] A small nail with a broad, flat head also the direction of a ship in regard to the trim of her sails—the starboard tack when close hauled with the wind on her starboard side, the port tack when on the port side. In tacking or changing the direction, a ve el is brought to point at first directly to windward, and then so that the wind will blow against the other side. weights. Ground-tackle are anchors, cables, etc.; gun tackle, the apparatus for hoisting cannon. this stage it breathes by means of external or in¬ ternal gills, and has a fin-like tail. that terminates its body behind. It contains a series of movable vertebrae, and is covered with flesh and hairs or scales. The tail of birds con¬ sists of fused vertebrae the tail of fishes ends in a caudal fin. Woodpeckers climb and rest on the stems of trees with their tail feathers. makes its nest by sewing together the leaves of trees, and in doing so uses its beak and claws in¬ stead of a needle. of the ox or sheep kind. Its solidity is due to the large amount of stearin it contains. It is used to make candles (q. v.).—The Tallow-tree grows in China, and produces from its seeds a substance resembling tallow. in the Indies, with flowers in racemes, pinnate leaves, and pods abounding in acid pulp of cool¬ ing and laxative qualities. West Indian tamar¬ inds are preserved in sirup, but East Indian fruits are put up without sirup.