The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-11-02
SENSE OF SMELL IN ANlMALs
How Different odors Affect Various
Species.

Thus the wild camels keeneSt sense,
according to Sven Heden, is that of
smell He was told by an experienced
camel hunter that it caR scent a man
thirteen miles off! The deer, again,
has been known to take fright at the
scent Of man twerty-four hours after
he had passed the spot. III two species
of armadillo, according to Mr.. w. III.
Hudson, the sense OF smell is so mar
velously acute that it has made sight
superfluous, and they are blind, or
next door to it,
1t is not easy to see what use the
characteristic smell possessed by SO
many animals can be to the species,
except in such extreme cases as the
skunk and civet. Here, indeed, it is a
veritable noli me tangere addressed
| to the rest of the animal world But
In the case of the fox, for example, it
seems altogether disadvantage and
danger to have such a strong smell.
A pheasant had its nest in a wood for
two or three years, and yet was never
! discovered by the dogB-retrievers,
pointers and fox terriers-which pass
ed and repassed it several times day.
In the case Of the pampas deer describ-
| ed by the Naturalist in LIE Plata the
! smell may be a warning to its enc
! mics that It is not good to eat. The
! scent IS as strong as that of the skunk,
! Though less disagreeable. Its powerful
| odor reaches the wanderer on the
! pampas when the animal is not even in
! sight. The gauchos of the district say
| that 1t preserves the deer from snakes,
| which dislike the smell And such
| great faith have they in the efficacy
! Of the protection that they tie strips
of the deers skin, which still retain
! the smell, round the necks of valuable
! horses and. turn them out to Craze
! where snakes abound.
Animals, indeed, in many cases seem
| to be strangely affected by smells.
| Thus dog stealers are said to use
| scent so beloved of the canine race
| that dog will follow any one who
smells of it. They carry in their pock-
cts what is known as dog stealer's
pudding" which is merely a piece OF
/ linen which has been boiled and! fla
! vored with valerian. So fascinating is
! the odor that no dog will bite a man
| who has a piece of the so-called pud-
ding in his pocket. And even the lion
! is said to be subdued by the scent of
! lavender. Trainers should take the
| hint, for it is said that no one has
! ever been attacked who took the pre-
caution to use this perfume Most an
imals, indeed, seem to be fascinated
! by the smell of lavender. Experiments
! have been tried at the ZOO ana else
where. The leopard takes the scented
ball in its paws and rubs it over it's
face; the lion lays its head on the
scented fragment and purTs; the tiger
is thrown into an eCstacy of delight,
pleasure bcaming from his eyes. A
! dog, however, on which the writer of
| these notes tried the effects of hand
kerchief soaked in lavender water,
showed its dislike by backing away
| under the table when the scent was
brought near its nose. On cats the
! effect was EiIl2r. A knowledge of
this fact sometimes proves of service
| when a dog or cat becomes too. af-
/ fectiOnate. So the dislike of insects
! to certain perfumes may be of use to
| their victims. What is il in tha scent
| of musk and geranium," asks a writer
in a gardening paper, that house flies
dislike? They leave a room in hot
! haste If geraniums are Towering on
the window sill. 1t seems to be- the
leaf perfume they dislike, for | have
! heard OF medical men and nurses plac-
/ ing geranium leaves near a patients
bed in order to keep off flies" Flies
are also said to dislike the perfume
! of gardenia. Wasps, again. are said
/ to avoid sweet peas, but this seems to
f.! require confirmation.
/ Robert Bruce. according. to the we'll
! known story, once eluded his pursuers
! aided by bloodhounds, by climbing a
/ tree, dropping from it into the stream,
! wading down and then taking to the
land again. 1t is interesting to note
! that the elk tries to put the dog Off
! the scent in a similar way. AS Sir
! Samuel Baker tells us, it has a con-
slant habit of swimming or running
! down a river to drown its own scent.
/ 1t may keep the water for a quarter
! of a mile, or it may land several times
! in that distance and take TO the water
again. But the hare puts the pursuer
off the scent in an even more ingen-
! ious way. When about TO retire for
the night 1T runs forward for a certain
| distance past its sleeping place and
4 then doubles back over its own foot
/ steps. Then it will take big Jump
! to the side and run a certain distance
/ befor" finally taking up its quarters.
/ Sometimes this performance is Tepeat-
ed two or three times. But the device
| of the "Sprjngield fox" as related by
Mr.. Seiot thomson, is worthy even OF
Reynard i. sly. She--for it was
! viXen-saCok off the dogs whenever
| she thOuPht nroner hV the simnla de-