SMELL AND TASTE I99 



but there are exceptions, notably among the tubinarine 

 birds — the petrels and albatrosses. In these birds the nostrils 

 take the form of little tubes projecting on the top of the 

 beak, unlike the slits of most other birds. When they are 

 not on their nesting-grounds the albatrosses and petrels 

 generally live far away at sea, often many hundreds of miles 

 from the nearest land, for they are truly oceanic. Some 

 people who collect birds for museums have found a way of 

 luring these birds within range of the gun by exploiting 

 their sense of smell. The method is simple : when you are 

 in mid-ocean you persuade the captain (if you can) to stop 

 the ship and lower a boat. You get into the boat with your 

 gun and other tools of your trade, and also take a primus 

 stove, a frying-pan and a supply of dripping and scraps of 



Fig. 13. The head of a Fulmar Petrel showing the tubular nostrils charac- 

 teristic of all the petrels. 



fat. As you row gently along you keep pouring hot fat on to 

 the water, and when you have gone a mile or so you put 

 out the stove and row gently back along your track. There 

 may not have been a bird in sight when you set off, but on 

 your return you find the smell of the cooking has called up 

 the petrels from afar, and you can slaughter what you wish 

 as they eat the food you have provided. Among the birds, 

 therefore, the petrels at least must have a good sense of 

 smell, and sometimes use it in finding their food. 



The sense of smell is important to reptiles, and is probably 

 particularly acute in most snakes and lizards, which have a 



