Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1889-01-05
The SCENT OF DOGS.
Facts Clearly Demonstrating tho roweT
of Canine sense of Smell.

Facts Clearly Demonstrating tho rower
of Canine sense of Smell.
Our sense of smell is hardly keen
enough TO enable us to understand how
1t is possible for the dog to do all no
can do with his nose, We can not. for
instance, distinguish by the smell
rabbits foot from piece of bark,
which il seems most to resemble
probably because the bark is the
strongest-smelling Substance with
which the foot usually comes in con-
tact.
But not SO With the hound, or even
with many common cur dogs, Not
only will they recognize the scent of
the foot itself, but, hours after the
rabbit has passed along, they can fol-
low him unerringly by the scent
OF the spots where he touched
his light feet TO the ground What
proportion Of the odor of the
foot can there be left upon spot
where il has merely rested for an in
slant? And yet dog with n good
nose first will find an invisible track,
and then will determine, by snutling
for few yards back and forth, which
way the animal passed. Then he will
follow all the windings and doublings
which the animal has made, either in
search for food, or, after he is up"
in escaping his pursuers.
II this be wonderful, what is TO be
said OF dogs never confusing the
track of one rabbit with that of an
other? After dog has once seen that
rabbit is dead. he will never notice its
track again, but will set off upon some
other track, which often is much fainter
than that of the one just killed, though
the two may cross each other and
be intermingled in innumerable places.
The bloodhound which is the keenest-
scented of all dogs, can follow his
master or his victim, no natter how
many others may thread in the same
path.
We can hardly believe that these
things are done solely through the
sense of smell; but that is the best
that science can make of Jas yet.
There are many other facts which
demonstrate the power of the dogs
scent. | once knew a hound which
would never eat bread and yet was
quite fond of raised biscuit, the same
thing in every respect, save that II con-
tanned little shortening. One might
take in one hand piece OF bread hall
the size of pea, and in the other the
same amount of biscuit, and the hound
would smell of both, and never make
a mistake in selecting the biscuit.
The power of scent of even the
keener-nosed common dogs, such
as the bulldog, can be tested by
fastening bit Of meat to q
string and dragging it about the
yard when the dog does not see you
hiding it at the end of the trail, an(
then afterward putting him on the
search for it where you started. If he
has a good nose, he will 90 over the
same path you took and find the meat
Leave no string on the meat, however
as it might injurc him 10 swallow the
string.
All hounds save the greyhound ru'
entirely by scent When they come
upon too faint scent of track the!
will work along it until it grows fresh
err, and then begin to bay or give
tongue" There is always CORE
spondence between the baying and the
trail. An experienced hunter can tel
by the baying not only where thedog
is, but, by the frequency and conf
dence of the sound, how fresh tn
trail is-that is, how close upon hi
game the dog is. All hunted animal:
have way of doubling or run
) ming in circles. Hence, if a hunte
observes by the baying. that his dog il
going away from him, he waits pa
. tiently, sometimes for minutes, some
| times for hours, until the circle
made, and he hears the dog approach
ing. Then he is on the alert for shot
5 for the game is probably not many rod
in advance Of the dog.
A hound is seldom lost. His nose
: his compass, Whenever he pleases h
{. can take up his masters track and fin
him, or he can retrace his own step
\ homeward.
a Dogs do not seem to enjoy thOs
odors that please us. A dog will tur
away disappointed and Indifferent frol
. the finest of perfumes. Except tn
scent of those things which he woul
like TO eat | have never found an
thing that seemed TO delight dog
sense Of smell. --Thc0. b. Hils0n, IN S
NJ