The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-09-12
EYES. EARS AND NOSES.
Sight. Hearing and Smell in Ages Long
Gone by and Now

II is very curious question. especially |
Il the question include the first animals
created as well as the first men. whether
there be any difference between sight.
hearing and smell in those early days and
at the present time.
Smell was one OF the mos; impor;an,
senses then. FOR 1t aroused appetite, eu-
abled the animals TO seek and fnd their
mates, and To track their prey, and 1t
gave them warning OF friend or foes
approach or presence. With man now II
is Of only third OF fourth rate Importance
The organs OF smell, among some Of the
first creatures. was not near the the end
Of the snout, or nose, but near the brain,
sng Was well-padded or cushioned with
fat, and protected by tender skin, or by
scales overlapping each other.
But II vas not more keen or more deli
cate then than II is now. especially among
hunting Cats, toO.-and these are
among the later animals-have this sense
\ in great precision. y cat has what Is
called the homlng instinct. and II carried
away from home in the dark. 1t can re-
turn By precisely the same road. It is
| said that this Is because every field. ditch.
village or house leaves its own odoT in
! Just the right orAer on the cats brain,
like a succession OF pictures, and the ami
| al lie ft- vr,
ours.
The organ Of smell seems 70 communl-
cate with the meory, for the scent Of a
flower will sometimes bring back TO a
grown man the scene associated with II
in his childhood. and a thousand other
cate with the memory, for the scent Of
seems literally carried back into the past
life.
The first creatures knew nothing Of
fragrance. The sweet-smenIng flowers
were not then in existence; besides their
brains were too small to enjoy the delicate
pleasures Of sweet odors
Hearing was comparatively poor with
the first animals, for often an external
ear was lacking The outside ear not
only protects the delicate nerves within,
like hood. but also gathers or collects
sounds 4 man Of defective hearing in
, stinctively puts his hand behind his ear
FOR this purpose. Birds that have no
external ear can easily be SURPRISED by
: night and taken, while their acute Wis
ion shows them every movement by day
r The savage races had little idea Of
music. They liked noises as children like
drums and norns. The savages on the
] Midway PlaIssance had great delight ir
! their native music which was discord tc
: our ears. It required larger brains anl
4 finer training 10 have the full delight in
4 melody and harmony that our musicians
4 Dossess now.
The eye, also. In the gigantic creatures
3 Of the early periods, was sometimes ru'
dimentary, though again It was Of large
= size ard projected by a ring Of horny
ashes that protect the human eye now
In some Of these lizard-like animals that
burrowed in the mud there were three
pairs Of eye-lids, one Of them transpar.
=, en:, so that the animal might see through
I It closed.
It is said that early writer's. like Homer
. speak Of very few colors, chiefly red. or
= purple, as they called it then.
Enjoyment Of beauty Of graceful
10 curves and lines and proportion or oi
e harmonious and varied colors and theil
, lelicate tints, belongs to later state
= Of cultivation, more developed brain
e than most Of the early races knew.
E. F. MOsBY.