The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1886-03-12
SENSE OF SMELLING.

A man may walk for miles and mileS
without once being actually conscious
that he possesses such sense as smell
beyond the general sensation of being
in pure and fresh atmosphere. Half q
d. zen times perhaps in his walk he
wakes up to it. A beantield in bloom
or a bank of violcts or burning weeds or
new-mown hay or some bloss oming wool
bine or the wall flowers or mignonette
IN cottage garden some one or other
of these may arrest his attention at rare
intervals by their fragrance and 80 steal
into notice but the man does not look
for them. and he is quite content to
begin and finish his waikiki it 30 hap
pen-without any ofthem. How differ.
ent with dog who has set out with him
and has been enjoying his walk side by
side with his master. receiving impress
sions from the same surroundings and
Nnder the same circumstances What
. completely different aspect things
have had for him ! His sense of enjoy
ment has been-like his master's-ac-
cording to his capacity ; but what differ
ent influences have appealed to him
IT, when they reach home, the dog were
able to make known his impressions,
and spread them out side by side with
his masters, they would probobly be az
opposite as the poles-just as unlike as
il they had been received, these on this
earth, and the others among the noun
tains of the moon. Watch the dog for
an instant and see what his interest is
conferred in, what sense it is that en-
crosses his attention most. He has an
exceedingly quick eye and ear, and it
would he difficult for even mouse of
hghtest foot to emerge from its hole
and creep around the old stump close
by and in again without being de
tected The fnintest rustic of a leaf,
the slightest movement, would I've s,lffi-
.cient to betray its presence. Either
through eye or ear, very likely through
both at the same instant, the dog will
be made conscious of the interesting
little circumstance. But quick as ali
his senses are, it is to that If smell
above all, that the dog trusts ! his is
the final arbiter-the test to Which nj!
difficult problems are subjected, and by
which all doubts are solved. It is in
world OF scents that dog lives and
moves and has his being What Curl
Gus scent this bramble leaf has and
this spot in the road and that last
nettle he passed-how interesting How
unlike all other nettes he ever met witn
He must return and investigates! And
doing so, he becomes for few moments
go engrossed that even his masters COM
mand can scarcely persuade him to
leave it. And then, as to Judging of
character. let reader who possr sses a
dog say whether he knows of any test
that can be for one moment compared
with the test supplied by the bundle
OF nerves that spread themselves out
at the tip of dog g nose. If pun
may be pardoned, I would express
my belief that by no other means can so
correct a diagonisis of man character
be obtained. At all events. all will
agree that dog depends upon it with
out any reserve whatever, and no
amount OF fattey will serve to alter the
opinion he has by such means arrived
At And who does not remember how,
when Ulysses returned home after his
many years absence disguised as n beg
gar, neither length of time nor change
OF appearance and clothing served for
o moment to deceive his faithful hound.
While every other member of the house
hold was regarding him as q stranger
his dog came up and instantly dis
covered his identity.