CHAPTER IX 



THE SENSES 



E have seen that the brain is the storehouse of 

 facts and experiences, but whence come these 

 and how do they gain admittance to that soft 

 gray matter which is one of the wonders of the world? 

 There are five channels (and sometimes there seems the 

 shadow of a metaphysical sixth) which are cognizant of 

 and receptive to environmental influences. These are 

 the nostrils, eyes, ears and tongue, and the tactile nerves 

 of the surface of the body; or in other words the bird is 

 in direct connection with his surroundings on land or 

 water or in the air, by means of the senses of smelling, 

 seeing, hearing, tasting, and feeling. 



The Sense of Smell 



The sense of smell is dependent upon the diffusion in 



the air of minute particles of objects, and naturally is 



effective at very short distances compared to the senses 



of sight and hearing, which require only vibrations in the 



atmosphere. When we remember that the nostrils of 



birds are usually encased in horn and that there is no 



exposed moist surface, as in the nose of a dog, we shall 



see how it is that this sense is but little developed among 



feathered creatures. 



203 



