^zj. Sayles on the Sense of Smell in Catkartes aura. [ January 



In precisely the same manner, any odor spreads through the 

 air. If the air is very calm, the odor rises in the shape of an in- 

 verted cone. If now a bird passes above it, and the odor is one 

 springing from the customary food of such birds, it will descend 

 in search of its scented food. If the wind has a gentle movement, 

 the odor rises obliquely ; and the bird, in hunting its food, will 

 descend obliquely along the scented tract. 



If the wind is high, the odor is horn off horizontally ; and the 

 bird, when it crosses the tract of scented air, will follow it hori- 

 zontally. 



One word further. The Buzzard is not formed for digging the 

 earth, or for tearing away any obstacles, in order to reach a 

 tainted carcass. 



Now, let us proceed with the experiments tried, and relied on 

 as proofs that Buzzards do not use their sense of smell in search 

 of food. First, Air. Audubon's perfectly dry, stuffed deer skin. 

 Admit that the Buzzards came, because they saw what appeared 

 to be a deer. Does that prove that the Buzzard does not search 

 by smell? It is a mere negative, utterly devoid of the slightest 

 relevancy in the argument. 



Second, the Buzzard caught a little snake. That only shows 

 that the Buzzard can see. 



Third, the big dead hog thoroughly concealed . The author 

 says the Buzzards passed near it by accident. Is he sure that 

 they flew near it by accident? I affirm that they passed near it 

 in search of it. but it being thoroughly concealed they failed to 

 find it; and had they thought it in the brush-heap they could 

 not have reached it. Dogs found it, of course, and removed the 

 brush. 



Fourth, they did find a pig — a little pig — by tracking its 

 blood. 



Now these experiments determine nothing whatever concern- 

 ing the sense of smell — the object of the experiments. 



Bachman's painted sheep simply and only shows that the 

 Buzzards can see, and can be imposed on. I remember that a 

 certain ancient Greek painter so cunningly imitated grapes, that 

 the poor little birds came and pecked at his pictures. Poor things, 

 they were deceived ; so were Bachman's Buzzards. But, really, 

 does this prove anything concerning the sense of smell? Not in 

 the least. 



