DOG^S WORLD OF SMELLS 107 



which we know nothing, which so occupy or absorb 

 his attention as to make him practically blind to 

 everything about him and deaf to all sounds, even 

 of his master's voice impatiently calling him to 

 " come on." He must first investigate the smell he 

 has stumbled upon, and perhaps disentangle it from 

 several other smells it has got mixed up with, before 

 his curiosity is satisfied. 



Now take him into a still wood, abounding in wild 

 life, and make him lie down quietly at your feet and 

 watch him. He knows that he must obey the irksome 

 order, and closes his eyes and pretends to be asleep; 

 but he is awake, in a bath of emanations; you can see 

 it in the perpetual twitching of the nose, and from 

 the nose the suppressed excitement flies all over the 

 body. But all you see in your fox-terrier or other out- 

 door dog with the hunting instinct kindling to hot 

 fire in him is little enough to what appears in any 

 small wild creature you may observe in repose. The 

 small wild woodland beasties on any bright sunny 

 day in autumn and winter, especially during the 

 first half of the day, like to come out of hiding to take 

 a sun-bath. Moles, squirrels, hedgehogs, bank and 

 field voles and wood mice — any one of these may come 

 up or out in sight of you, when you sit perfectly still 

 for a long time. The little creature comes from its 

 den or hole at the roots of a tree, or from under the 

 bed of dead leaves, and settles down within a yard or 

 two of your feet, perhaps. But it is best, on account 

 of the disturbing effect of a strange smell so close to 

 it, to see it fifteen or twenty yards away, and with 



