352 THE HARMONIES OF NATURE. 



that of smelling. From a surprising distance these swift-footed 

 ruminants of the Alpine world scent the huntsman standing in 

 the wind, both at the same elevation as themselves and from 

 the lower regions, as the warmer air-currents ascending from 

 the deeper valleys bring along with them the emanations of man. 

 Then, at this first symptom of danger, every sense is exerted to 

 the utmost to find out the exact spot of impending peril. They 

 restlessly hurry to and fro, or, anxiously on the watch, huddle 

 together with far-outstretched necks. The ear and the eye strive 

 to emulate the distended nostrils. When at length the chamois 

 espy their enemy, they are more calm ; while as long as they 

 merely scent without seeing him, their agitation is excessive, 

 from not knowing where to direct their flight. While the 

 huntsman remains motionless, they likewise stand still, eyeing 

 him all the time with the keenest attention ; but as soon as he 

 moves, they dart away with arrowy speed. 



The scent of the dog is likewise of wonderful acuteness, and 

 perhaps unrivalled among the quadrupeds. It directs, as it were, 

 all his actions, and renders his services invaluable to the hunts- 

 man ; for, with the assistance of this unerring guide, the dog 

 smells the emanations of the game, which totally escape the 

 grosser human sense, and follows exactly the path the object of 

 his pursuit has taken. By means of his scent he knows how to 

 find out his master among thousands, and to trace him for miles. 

 It is, in one word, the most perfect of his senses ; for, though he 

 can hear well, his eyesight is not remarkably good. The internal 

 structure of his nose gives his scent this extraordinary sharpness, 

 as the convolutions of its cavity, which the air traverses in the act 

 of inspiration, are exceedingly complicated, and it moreover 

 branches out into sinuses or hollows of considerable extent, so 

 that the olfactory nerves spread over a vast surface. 



The kangaroo and the bison are indebted for many a timely 

 warning to the great acuteness of their scent ; and the thirsty 

 camel, well nigh sinking under the weight of his privations on 

 his long march through the sandy desert, frequently detects by 

 its means the distant stream or fountain. Then new vigour 

 animates his weary limbs, with distended nostrils he sniffs the 

 air, and, hastily rushing to the spot, quaffs in long draughts the 

 refreshing waters. 



In other quadrupeds the sense of feeling is particularly acute. 



