SCENT 



the odour of others of his kind. Foxes like dogs 

 "leave their cards" at certain places, and I 

 think the aroma round the latter teU the fox 

 all he wants to know about those which have 

 preceded him. He knows instantly whether a 

 dog fox or a vixen has been there, and in all 

 probability he can tell their age as well. Hounds 

 are less keen to hunt a vixen in spring than a 

 dog fox, and this may be because the scent at 

 that season is weak, or has undergone some subtle 

 change. 



The odour of the fox does not cling to his fur 

 when the latter is used for commercial purposes. 

 Certain creatures like the skunk, have to be 

 carefully handled in this respect, otherwise the 

 secretions from the scent-glands would ruin the 

 skin. The skunk's only power of defence is the 

 faculty of being able to expel a fine jet of evil- 

 smelling liquid, which is powerful enough to tem- 

 porarily blind his canine enemies. If however 

 the skunk is captured young, and the scent sacs 

 are removed, the fur of the animal no longer 

 retains any trace of unpleasant odour. 



Strong as the scent of a fox is, it cannot com- 

 pare with that of a deer. I have seen hounds 

 change during the course of a run from fox to 

 deer, and they could hunt the latter much more 

 easily, as their increased pace and cry testified. 

 This occurred in a fox-hunting district, where an 

 occasional outlying deer puts in an appearance. 

 When hunting deer, staghounds run in file, and 

 do not carry a head like foxhounds. Also on 

 certain days, hounds will run mute or nearly so, 

 while on other occasions every member of the 

 pack will speak to it. Just why this should be 

 we cannot tell, but scent has probably a good deal 

 to do with it. I think the scent of a deer chiefly 



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