92 lewis' AMERICAN SPORTSMAN, 



Sportsmen, and many a valuable Dog has been grossly and 

 unjustly censured for liis want of nose, in not finding the Birds 

 under these circumstances. This seeming deficiency, however, 

 in the olfactory organs of our canine favorite, is now easily 

 accounted for by the presumed existence of a singular provision 

 of nature, which endows the American Partridge with the ex- 

 traordinary faculty of withholding, for a time, the emanation 

 from its body of that peculiarly strong odor that betrays its 

 proximity to the Dog. This phenomenon was very particularly 

 inquired into, some years since, by Dr. Smith, of Baltimore; 

 and the results of his inquiries were published, at that time, in 

 the form of a letter to Mr, Skinner, which interesting communi- 

 cation we take pleasure in bringing again to the notice of 

 Sportsmen by its insertion in these pages. We are constrained 

 to do this from the conviction that nothing has been written, 

 since its publication, that further elucidates this subject; and, 

 if we were to attempt to give our own views and observations 

 upon the phenomenon, it could not be done in a more practical 

 and satisfactory manner than Dr. Smith has accomplished it; 

 and we therefore give place to its insertion with all pleasure : — 



Mr. Editor : A close scrutiny of every subject in natural 

 history discloses some marvellous power given to inferior crea- 

 tures for their preservation from the hostility of man, and his 

 various and numerous agents. It is surprising how many 

 striking facts are forced upon us for contemplation, before 

 any doctrine is thoroughly admitted as truth. How long, for 

 instance, has it been observed, and with regret by Sports- 

 men, that the best Dogs could not discover certain Birds of 

 value, such as Partridges, in places where they were seen to 

 settle themselves; and yet years have rolled away without a 

 single individual advancing the only rational idea of the proper 

 cause. The truth never reached them that these persecuted 

 little creatures had been granted the power of withholding odor 

 to preserve them from their ruthless destroyers. Noble Dogs 

 have been censured as wanting or careless, when the often- 

 repeated fact, in almost every day's hunt, made it manifest that 

 the fault did not lie with them. Many years ago, I noticed this 



