Jan. S3, 1897.] 
•FOREST AND STREAM. 
us instance the case of a single grain of musk which con- 
tinues to give off its intense odor for years before the sub- 
stance is entirely dissipated. Similar illustration is af- 
forded by a drop of any fixed oil, creosote or skunk musk. 
To illustrate the feebleness of the human scent faculty; 
we cannot detect the presence of milk or water by tbeir 
odor, and yet we know they must have a powerful odor 
because tbey are so rapidly dissipated, as well as because 
they are so quickly discovered by wild animals; camels, 
for instance, are said to smell the water at a distance of 
miles. Procf that at one time our species had a good 
nose is found in the well-known fact that smell makes a 
quicker, stronger and more vivid appeal to memory than 
any of the other senses. 
Since, then, as already claimed, odor is dissipated dub- 
stance floating in the air, and since all substances are dis- 
sipatory, all have an odor And there is no good reason 
to doubt that this odor is as distinctive as the appearance 
of the thing; even more so, one might say, for all animals 
with well-developed noses learn to confide in them, for 
intelligence, rather than in their eyes. And the evidence 
of these insubornable witnesses all goes to show that 
•every object in the landscape, every tree and shrub, and 
•each part of each tree and shrub, has a separate individual 
•odor that is at least as distinctive as its color. Yet we find 
this as hard to believe as would the blind man that the 
iappeara.nc8 of the objects in question was more distinctive 
and diagnostic than their feel. 
It is scarcely necessary to ,prove that each species of 
animal has its own odor. The differences of the respect- 
ive odors of horse, cow, fox, skunk, negro, Indian, etc., 
are sufficiently obvious to ourselves. But, more than this, 
it is very easy to prove that each individual of the species 
has its own peculiar odor as surely as it has its own 
peculiar appearance. This is so well known that no 
hunter or naturalist will be likely to question it: but as 
■one out of many proofs I may cite the well-known fact 
ithat a dog has no difficulty in keeping the track of the 
■same deer or man no matter how many others of the 
ikind may cross it. 
It may be thought that I am pushing it too far when I 
•now assert that not only each individual animal has its 
own odor, but each part of that animal is giving off an 
odor which is peculiar to itself, and this the reader can 
readily prove. Let him take a dead animal of any furry 
kind and wet the fur with hot water in different regions, 
and he will find that even the blunt human sense can dis- 
tinguish many variations of the smell. And I am satis- 
fied that the keen nose of the beast of prey does far more 
than this, and can even distinguish the scents left by the 
heel and toe of the same foot. This is the simple explana- 
tion of the seemingly inexplicable fact that a good bound 
can, within a few yards, tell which way his quarry was 
running. It was a very simple matter to him; let B be 
the toe scent and A the heel scent; he ran a few yards 
and because the track kept singing B-A, B-A, B-A, he 
knew he was wrong; in the other direction it sang A-B, 
A-B, A-B; so away he went. The difference between the 
two odors is very slight, so much so that an inferior 
hound will often run a long way on a back scent, but a 
•dog with a good nose or a wolf is never long mistaken. 
My next contention is that the general or body scent of 
an animal is eminently changeable. While it always re- 
tains its individuality, it changes with the physical and 
mental condition of the animal, with the weather, the 
temperature and the season, jast as surely as does its coat 
or facial expression. 
Abundant proofs of this are at hand, for example: a 
horse smells stronger after exercise; a mink or weasel, not 
to mention a skunk, emits a much stronger because more 
abundant odor on becoming angry; at certain seasons of 
the year the flesh of goats and of some deer is unfit to eat 
on account of its disagreeable odor; in the winter the 
flesh of the Canada grouse becomes redolent of the 
spruce, and similarly the body of the white hare is 
strongly tainted with the cedar that forms its winter 
food; dogs in ill health become malodorous; so does the 
human breath, etc., etc. But notice that all of these 
proofs are the evidence of the feeble human nose — it must 
always be remembered that the nose of the wild animal 
is inconceivably more acute; if we say 100 times as keen, 
we have an approximate idea of their relative powers. 
As proofs ot the effect of the changing odor among the 
animals themselves: A male animal will pass unheeded 
the body scent of a female at one time, and at another, 
when she is seeking a mate, the changed odor sets him in 
a state of excitement at once; and this is true of all the 
mammalia, while in the insect world even more extraor- 
dinary things are told. There is a record of a Cecropia 
moth having flown thirty miles in one night, attracted by 
the odor of an imprisoned female. Similar records with 
lesser distances are common. It seems incontestable, 
therefore, that the body scent of an animal varies with its 
changing conditions and emotions; the only question is as 
to the extent of this variation. And it is quite certain 
that the other individuals of the species can recognize 
these changes, so that it becomes a most important means 
of intercommunication. 
In many species additional effect is given to the body 
scent by the development of special glands which -secrete 
a strong odor. These glands are usually situated in a part 
that is habitually brought in contact with the grouna or 
the vegetation. Thus, in a musk-deer they are on the side 
of the belly; in the peccary on the back; in the deer on the 
tarsus, between the toes, and in the lachrymal fossa. In 
some animals, however, the contact with the ground is 
secured in a different way. The glands are situated within 
the anal and preputial orifices, so that the natural excre- 
tions in transitu bear with them the taint which reveals 
so much to tha next pa&ser-by of the same species. Now 
in order that this second animal may find the depot of 
intelligence quickly, it is necessary that his discovery of 
the place be not left to chance, and incredible as it may 
seem at first blush, there is abundant proof that the whole 
of a region inhabited by wolves is laid out in signal sta- 
tions or intelligence depots. Usually there is one at each 
mile or less, varying much with the nature of the ground. 
The marks of these depots or odor posts are various; a 
stone, a tree, a bush, a buffalo skull, a post, a mound, or 
any similar object serves, provided only that it be con- 
spicuous on account of its color or position; usually it is 
more or less isolated or else prominent by being at the 
crossing of two trails. 
Now a man returning to town goes at once to his hotel 
or club, glances over the last three or four names on the 
register, adds his own, then makes a more thorough in- 
spection. And the behavior of an animal arrived at an 
odor post is precifiely the same. It approaches, hastily 
sniffs the post, adds its own odor, then makes a more 
thorough investigation. The attention dogs pay to lamp 
posts in town is sufficiently known; it is precisely the 
same habit, a trifle over-developed through idlpness, etc., 
but it will serve to illustrate. 1 have many tiroes seen a 
dog approach the post, sniff, then growl, register, growl 
again, and with bristling mane and glowing eyes scratch 
fiercely with his hindfeec and walk off very stiffly, 
glancing back from time to time. Again, it is common 
to see a dog, after the preliminaries, become keenly inter- 
ested, trot about the vicinity, and come again and again 
to make his own record more evident. At other times 
one sees the animal, suddenly aroused by the news, take 
up a recent trail or fly to the next signal post, and so con- 
tinue in pursuit of whatever it was that it scented. 
Wolves do precisely the same, but I believe they carry 
it to a higher pitch, and there can be no doubt that a 
newly arrived wolf is instantly aware of the visit that 
has recently been paid to the signal post by a personal 
friend or foe — by a female in search of a mate; a young 
or old, sick or well, hungry, hunted or gorged beast, as 
well as the direction whence he came and whither he 
went, with all the additional information that a very 
small faculty of logic would deduce from this. How 
much more than this he learns, or whether he can again 
convey the intelligence to the next post, I know not. It 
seems to me not impossible that, as his own state of mind 
in a measure modifies his body scent, the effect on him of 
news obtained at post No. 1 will be recorded by himself 
to some extent at post No, 2. In any case we are safe to 
believe that these animals, with their wondrous power 
of scent, can do far more in this way than we at present 
suspect. Ernest Seton Thompson. 
A GIANT MOOSE. 
Me. W. W. Habt, of 5 West Third street, has recently 
received from Alaska a moose head which in size exceeds 
any head that we base ever sem. In spread of antlers, 
breadth of palm and length of prong it seems more nearly- 
suggestive of the head of the fossil Irish elk than any 
recent head that has come under our notice. The antlers 
are not of the wide-spreading type, for the horns, starting 
at right angles to the axis of the skull on rather light 
shafts, soon turn backward almost at right angles, so that 
the long diameter of the palm is inclined only at a small 
angle with the axis of the skull. 
The skull has been spht for ease in transportation, but 
fitting the two halves together, the spread of the antlers 
is 70im. The length of the right born, measured from 
the brow antler to the most distant prong of the palm on 
the posterior side of the horn, is 55iin.; the length of the 
palm, measured along the curve, is 41in., and a straight 
line drawn from the burr to the most distant point of the 
palm is 40in. The circumference of the shaft of the right 
antler at Sin. from the burr is lim. The width of the 
palm, measured along its posterior side following the 
curve, is 43in. The great size of the palms makes the 
shafts of the horn just outside the burr seem very small. 
We believe that we have seen many horns of the elk 
{Cervua canadensis) which were heavier at this point. 
This moose is said to come from Alaska, Not very 
much is known about its history, but the locality is given 
as thirty miles back from Cook Inlet. It is stated that 
the animal measures Sift, at the shoulder; but this, of 
course, is a mere hunter's statement, and very likely a 
guess. The teeth of the animal show that it was old, but 
by no means past the prime of life. The incisors have 
been mutilated so that nothing can be said of them except 
that they were all present. Tne molars are worn by many 
years' use, but by no means show great age. 
It is understood that this head will be exhibited at the 
Sportsmen's Exposition, where Mr, Hart advises us that 
he will bave an exhibit showing mucb good work. 
The Woodcock's Whistle SLgaAn. 
British Columbia.. — jbJditor Forest ana Stream: Hav- 
ing read in Forest and stream, dated Oct. 17, 1896, Mr. 
W. H, Harris's explanation of how a woodcock produced 
that whistle, there is no doubt that almost every sports- 
man who has had much cock shooting agrees that the 
whistle is one of the special attractions of hunting this 
fine game bird ; and almost every sportsman that 1 have 
huntnd cocks with has queried as to how that whistle 
was produced. 
Having hunted woodcocks and grouse some six seasons 
in Nova Scotia, I have had woodcocks retrieved and 
caught in all stages of disabled conditions, and I thought 
that I had thoroughly proved to myself how the wood- 
cock produced the whistle. It is so different from what 
Mr. Harris has described that I would like to give my 
version of the case. 
Every time I broke the tip of a cock's wing and it fell 
on smooth ground it would spread its tail, droop its 
wings, point its beak downward, and walk along just like 
a gobbler, and when approached would jump off the 
ground and try to fly, giving a plaintive quack when 
jumping irom the ground and trying to fly. 
I could never associate this quacky, plaintive note with 
the whistle until one day I shoe at a cock, and not find- 
ing tne bird wUere I expected, I thought I had missed ; 
wnile the dog was seeking in the grass, I heard what 1 
thought was a faint whistle, as if a woodcock bad flushed, 
and on hearing it the second time I went carefully over 
and found the cock so disabled that it could by the use 
of its legs and wings rise about 4ft. off the ground and 
fly 10 or 15ft. and come to the ground again, each time 
giving the regular whistle in a very low key. 
I kept my dog back and watched the bird carefully and 
tried to learn how the whistle was produced, and tound 
when the bird got into any long grass or tangled brush 
80 it did not have a chance to jump and use its wings to 
good advantage, it only got about 1ft. off the ground and 
tnen there was no whistle, just that Uttle sound as that 
given by a bird with a broken wing. 
Tne above circumstance convinced me that the whistle 
was produced in this way: Tbe woodcock, when startled 
so as to make it take to wing, gives that low, plaintive 
quack (as described in the case of a bird with a broken 
wing); when it jumps and takes to wing at the same 
timo tne force of using its wings with great vigor vibrates 
the whole body and tends to intensify any sound that 
might be produced at that moment in a very marked de- 
gree, thereby producing the whistle. 
I do not believe that a woodcock can whistle with its 
wings, as described by Mr. W. H. Harris, and I think if 
he had placed his thumb and finger over the cock's nos- 
trils, at the same time holding the beak closed, there 
would have been no whistling sound produced. 
G. B. Habbis. 
§mfi0 §ug mtd §im. 
THE MASSACHUSETTS ASSOCIATION. 
Boston, Jan. 14. — Editor Forest and Stream: When the 
editor of our favorite sporting paper said in one of the 
September issues that if he was not mistaken no one of 
the many game protective clubs organized within the last 
twenty years has maintained its active work in the field 
for that entire period, he certainly forgot the existence of 
the Massachusetts Fish and Game Protective Association. 
It was originally chartered in 1874 as the "Massachusetts 
Anglers' Association" for "the purpose of securing and 
enforcing proper restrictions upon tbe taking and killing 
of fish, snelltisn and bivalves, the promotion of fishculture, 
and the introduction of new species and varieties of fish, 
and to disseminate information relating thereto." In 
1879 the name was changed to that whicb it now bears, 
and game was added to the list of objects which the Asso- 
ciation was to foster and protect. Ever since that time 
the rolls of membership have borne the names of many 
of the most prominent sportsmen of the State — men who 
enjoy fishing and shooting for the true sport there is in 
it and as a needed relaxation from the cares of a business 
or a professional life. When the occasion called they put 
their hands deep into their pockets to carry on the work 
of restocking our game preserves, our ponds and streams, 
and to aid in the prosecution of cases of violation of the 
fish and game laws. During the three years from Jan. li*, 
1890, the committee on introduction of game procured 
and released in 134 different lots and in sixty-two different 
places about B.OOO game birds, including pinnated grouse, 
Bharptail grouse. Bob White (quail), Oregon mountain 
quail. Rocky Mountain quail anu Northern hares. Many 
cases of violations of the fish and game laws have been 
investigated by the proper committees, evidence collected 
to be used by the State Commission, by the district police, 
or by special officers acting under the State Commission 
and paid by the Association. And to-day the society is in 
fine condition, with a good membership of devoted men, 
funds in the treasury, and a determination to continue in 
the good work. So you see, Mr. Eiitor, the Massachu- 
setts Association is to be taken out from the list of those 
you speak of in the article of Sapt. 12, 1896, On second 
thought, it can't be taken out, for it was never in it. 
I have been led to write the foregoing anent the 24th 
annual meeting of the Association, which was held last 
evening at the Copley Square Hotel. There was a good 
attendance, Mr. B. C. Clark, the president, occupied 
the chair, Messrs, C. A. Litchfield, Charles H. Cole and 
Fletcher Pope were elected to membership, and half a 
dozen proposals were read and referred to the member- 
ship committee. The report of the secretary- treasurer 
showed the receipts for the year to have been $1,940.36, 
and the expenditures |1,684 67; one-half of the balance 
has been added to the permanent invested fund, making 
that fund $'4,550.34. Secretary Kimball also reported 
upon several cases where information had been furnished 
oi violations of the game laws, which, with the aid of the 
district police, had been successfully prosecuted. Dr. 
Heber Bishop, on behalf of tne committee on annual din- 
ner, reportea progress. The affair will take place at the 
Copley Square Hutel Saturday evening, Jan. 30. Among 
those wno have accepted invitations to be present are 
Gov. Wolcott, Collector Warren, Rev. Dr. Horton, Judge 
Edgar Aldrich and Attorney -General Knowlton, from 
wbich it will be seen that the after-dinner speaking will 
be of a high order. Tom Henry's orchestra will furnish 
music, and the committee on hall decorations will make 
a fine display of tisb and game pictures and the taxiderm- 
ist's art. 
While the committee were counting the votes for the 
new officers. President Clark took occasion to thank the 
members for their cordial support during the year, and 
said he had declined a third term not from lack of inter- 
est in the good cause, but because of other duties pressing 
upon him. The following officers were then declared 
elected : 
President, Horace T. Rockwell; Vice-Presidents, Geo. 
W. Wiggins, C. J. H, Woodbury, Robt, S. Gray, Benja- 
min C, Uiark, Heber Bishop, J. R. Reed, Loring Crocker; 
Treasurer and Secretary, Henry H. Kimball; Librarian 
and Curator, Edward W. Branigan. Executive Commit- 
tee: Dr. J. T. Stetson, Dr. A. R, Brown, Dr. W. G. Ken- 
dall, Charles G. Gibson, W. C. Prescott, Rollin Jones, 
Charles A. Allen, Sidney Chase, Charles Stewart, Wm. B. 
Smart, Edward E, Small, William Almy. Membership 
Committee: Arthur W. Robinson, W. B. Hastings, Thoa. 
H. Hall. Fund Committee: Warren Hapgood, George 
O. Sears, Edward J. Brown. 
Col. Rockwell, on taking the chair, thanked the mem- 
bers for the compliment paid him, and pledged his best 
efforts to carry on the work of the Association on tne 
lines already laid down; its methods had been tried and 
proved, and there was no call for any new departure. 
Col. Rockwell is one of our best known citizens, was one 
of the original members of the Association, and has 
served many years upon the governing board in various 
capacities. Ha is wnat may be justly called an all-round 
sportsman for the sake of sport. With a few friends, he 
bas an elegant camp— the E.lerton Lodge — at the Range- 
leys, and m tne days of long-range rifle shooting he was 
one of the most expert shots in the coimtry, and a mem- 
ber of the American team which won many matches in 
Eaglandin 1880. The interests of the Association will be 
entirely safe in his hands. It will be seen that Mr. Clark 
has a place on tbe board of government, which is a mat- 
ter for congratulation to all. Wm, B. Smart. 
The Michigan Ducking* Uaw. 
Lansing, Mich., Jan. 16.— Representative Bryan, of the 
State Legislature, has introduced a bill probibiting the 
shooting of ducks from steam or naphtha launches in any 
of the waters in this State. Many of our inland lakes 
would afford good duck shooting during the fall if it were 
not that the ducks have been burned out bv shooting 
from steam launches. Julian. 
