524 THE DESCENT OP MAN. 



but various other uses have been assigned to this extraordinary 

 structure. Mr. R. Brown thinks that it serves as a protection 

 against accidents of all kinds; but this is not probable, for, as I 

 am assured by Mr. Lamont who killed 600 of these animals, the 

 hood is rudimentary in the females, and it is not developed in the 

 males during youth." 



Odor. — With some animals, as with the notorious skunk ol 

 America, the overwhelming odor which they emit appears to 

 serve exclusively as a defense. With shrew-mice (Sorex) both 

 sexes possess abdominal scent-glands, and there can be little 

 doubt, from the rejection of their bodies by birds and beasts of 

 prey, that the odor is protective; nevertheless, the glands be- 

 come enlarged in the males during the breeding-season. In many 

 other quadrupeds the glands are of the same size in both sexes," 

 but their uses are not known. In other species the glands are 

 confined to the males, or are more developed than in the females; 

 and they almost always become more active during the rutting- 

 season. At this period the glands on the sides of the face of the 

 male elephant enlarge, and emit a secretion having a strong 

 musky odor. The males, and rarely the females, of many kinds 

 of bats have glands and protrudable sacks situated in various 

 parts; and it is believed that these are odoriferous. 



The rank effltivium of the male goat is well known, and that 

 of certain male deer is wonderfully strong and persistent. On 

 the banks of the Plata I perceived the air tainted with the odor 

 of the male Cervus campestris, at half a mile to leeward of a 

 herd; and a silk handkerchief, in which I carried home a skin, 

 though often used and washed, retained, when first unfolded, 

 traces of the odor for one year and seven months. This animal 

 does not emit its strong odor until more than a year old, and 11 

 castrated whilst young never emits lt.^° Besides the general odor, 



8 On the sea-elephant, see an article by Lesson, in 'Diet. Class. Hist. 

 Nat.' torn. xiii. p. 418. For the Cystopliora or Stemmatopus, see Dr. 

 Dekay, 'Annals of Lyceum of Nat. Hist. New York,' vol. i. 1824, p. 94. 

 Pennant has also collected information from the sealers on this ani- 

 mal. The fullest account is given by Mr. Brown, in 'Proc. Zoolog. 

 Soc' 1868, p. 435. 



" As with the castoreum ol the beaver, see Mr. L. H. Morgan's most 

 interesting work, 'The American Beaver,' 1868, p. 300. Pallas ('Spic. 

 Zoolog.' fasc. viii. 1779, p. 23) has well discussea the odoriferous glands 

 of mammals. Owen ('Anat. of Vertebrates,' vol. iii. p. 634) also gives 

 an account of these glands, including those of the elephant, and 

 (p. 763) those of shrew-mice. On Bats, Mr. Dobson, in 'Proc. Zoolog. 

 Soc' 1873, p. 241. 



" Rengger, 'Naturgeschichte der Saugethiere von Paraguay,' 1830, 

 s. 355. This observer also gives some curious particulars in regard to 

 the odor. 



