384 THE GANNET 



Senses of Smelling and Hearing. — Neither of these senses 

 is much developed in the Gannet ; at least I cannot believe, 

 judging from the behaviour of those I have watched in 

 confinement, that Gannets can detect a fish, either dead or 

 alive, by scent alone. They rely on their sight, which is 

 marvellous, and not on their nostrils, for they scarcely have 

 any, and the nasal glands, if they exist at all, are very small. 

 Xavier Raspail, who has written a treatise on " Le sens 

 de I'odorat chez les oiseaux," details " observations which 

 indicate the sense of smell to be very developed in birds, 

 putting them on guard in the presence of danger, as well as 

 permitting them to discover food which they could not see," 

 and as the result of careful enquiries he concludes that 

 " Birds are endowed with the sense of smell to a degree 

 at least equal to that of a dog " (" Bulletin de la Societe 

 Zoologique de France," 1899, pp. 95, 102) ; but he does 

 not tell us that he made any experiments on sea-birds, 

 which may not at all possess the same power as land- 

 birds. Petrels, however, have a large olfactory chamber, 

 and the Fulmar is known to be guided by scent. Mr. J. 

 Collins found that Puffinus major and Cymochorea leucorrhoa 

 could easily smell liver in a fog (" Report of the Commis- 

 sioners of Fish," Washington, p. 317). 



Neither do I think that Gannets can hear as well as 

 other birds, for it is easy to steal upon them unawares. 



