104 THE SENSES OF ANIMALS 



scent trails left by other mammals is to go out and watch — 

 and if possible follow — a good pack of hounds when they 

 are hunting. The hounds will show you how strong scent is 

 on a particular day ; and at the start of a hunt when hounds 

 are seeking it is interesting to watch how they spread out 

 in order that their chances of picking up the desired scent 

 may be increased. Once scent has been found and the pack 

 follow, the voices of the hounds will tell an observer how 

 good or bad scent is. When in full cry it is obvious that 

 scent is good, and when hounds "speak" less or stop speak- 

 ing altogether, it will mean that scent has been lost or has 

 much decreased, or that some other scent has crossed the 

 line or otherwise confused hounds. It is then that the wonder- 

 ful discriminatory powers of hounds will be demonstrated. 

 Unless conditions have altered completely, good hounds — 

 often individual ones in the pack — will cast around and, if 

 the original scent is detectable, will start off again on the 

 line. 



Whether or not you approve of hunting, much will be 

 learned from watching the way in which these members of 

 the great family of dogs set about using their finely developed 

 powers of smell. It must always be borne in mind that 

 hounds will have to learn to discriminate between what is, 

 to them, a generally attractive and stimulating scent given 

 off, or left by mammals other than their proper quarry, and 

 that of a deer, fox or hare. When puppies, hounds have to 

 be warned off such scents otherwise they will, later on, dash 

 after rabbits or some other unsuitable creature; and this 

 will lead to greater difficulties when they are put to more 

 serious work. Admittedly hound puppies will often chase by 

 sight animals which they may disturb when being exercised 

 and this, too, must be curbed ; but even so, they can also 

 get "fixed" on the wrong kind of scent, which can be a great 

 nuisance to all concerned. Once they have learned that 

 nothing other than their true quarry is to be hunted, they 

 will store its scent in their smelling memory and should 

 thereafter stick to it and be able to ignore other scents — 

 another example of the discrimination which is such a 

 marked and wonderful feature of the smelling behaviour in 

 dogs. 



