WILD ANIMALS IN CAPTIVITY 
with the most abominable and stinking thing that could 
be found, either in his or her month, or, still worse, be- 
daubed all over its body, having apparently enjoyed a 
good roll in the filth, often sufficiently strong to poison, 
or nearly so, the whole family. A dead and putrid pole- 
cat, stoat, or weasel, is almost sure to be thus favoured. 
The smell arising from some animals when at a great 
distance may be very agreeable to some persons who are 
horrified by it in close proximity. This is particularly 
noticeable with regard to musk, and the persons engaged 
in obtaining the pod, as it is called, from the musk deer 
suffer severely during the time they are engaged collect- 
ing it. 
A singular instance of this nature occurred to a young 
man in London some years since, when dogs were more 
plentiful than at present. He had removed from the 
carcass of a dead civet cat the bag or glands containing 
the musk, and thinking to turn the perfume to account, 
after rolling the parts up in paper, placed them in his 
pocket and went his way. The first dog he met followed 
him closely, and was soon joined by others, until he was 
obliged to seek refuge in a public-house. All his kicks 
and attempts to drive them off failed, and until he pro- 
cured a long whip he was in danger of being attacked by 
the mongrel lot that followed him. He and his clothes 
became so saturated with the odour that for some time 
he could not venture out in the streets without a whip 
to keep the dogs off. In the end he was obliged to destroy 
his clothes, as his friends and family could not remain 
in his company, the stench was so abominable. Probably 
the animal from which he obtained the bag was diseased, 
and the secretion unhealthy or abnormal. It certainly 
was not agreeable to himself or to any who came in con- 
tact with him, except, perhaps, the dogs that followed after 
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