1922.] Sense of Smell possessed h/j Birds. 231 



Kelso * as to the behaviour of Stone-Oiirlew, and ot 

 Mr. Leslie Smith on the Ringed Plover t, 'H'c all certainly 

 worth consulting, though too long to quote, but they have 

 more than an indirect bearing on the scent question. 



All the numerous small birds ilnsessores) may have need 

 o£ scent at times, and possibly they enjoy and employ it. 

 Raspail thought that it was present in Tardus (1), and at 

 least one writer credits the Cuckoo with it, but the Cuckoo 

 is a bird of mystery about which anything may be suspected I 

 As for Jays, Shrikes, Nightjars, &c., for the present it is 

 safest to say that we know nothing about their olfactory 

 resources, if they have any. Titmice {Parus major, 

 P. c(vrideus) may possess scent ; Raspail thought they had 

 it (1), and certainly their visits to dairies which a hundred 

 and thirty years ago won them the name of '' Pickchecsc " 

 in Norfolk^ looks very much like it. 



Tests applied to Turkeys and iJoces. — Some, perhaps, may 

 think that the scent question might be settled by artificial 

 experiment, but this is very difficult. As a matter of fact, 

 not a few tests have been applied fi'om time to time,, but 

 none of these so-called trials have been very successful. 

 A few years ago the domestic Turkey [Meleayris^ was laid 

 under contribution. Owen had shown that, like other birds, 

 it possessed the usual olfactory nerves +, and Dr. Alexander 

 Hill deemed it a convenient medium for experimenting on. 

 Shortly the details of the tests applied by that gentleman, 

 which he communicated to ' Nature,' were as follows § : — 

 Dr. Hill placed various strong-smelling substances, such 

 as asafa'tida, essence of anise, and oil of lavender, in the 

 turkeys' food in one place, and nothing at all in another, 

 in the expectation that the turkeys would hardly show 

 themselves insensible to such powerful odours ; but either 

 the turkeys w^ere too greedy or very indiscriminating, for 

 they evinced neither preference for, nor repugnance to, their 



* ' Common luid Hare British Birds,' p. o30. 

 t ' British Birds,' xv. p. 26. 

 I P. Z. S. 1837, p. U. 

 § 'Nature,' Feb. i>, lOOo, 



