powers that she was regularly employed 
in assorting the clothes of the pupils 
as they came from the wash, that oper- 
ation not being far-reaching enough 
to remove the signs which were known 
to her alone. The case of James 
Mitchell, who was deaf and blind from 
his birth, is remarkable, for he could 
detect the approach of a stranger in 
this way. 
Those who have made a thorough 
study of the subject claim that there 
is a peculiar odor belonging to every 
class of living beings, and each is sub- 
divided so that each order, family, 
species, race, and variety is distinct. 
Furthermore every individual is dis- 
tinct from the rest of his kind in the 
odor given off so profusely and uncon- 
sciously in most instances. 
Horses seem to be somewhat less 
keen than dogs in noting odors, for a 
horse which is accustomed to but one 
groom and will not consent to attend- 
ance from another may sometimes be 
deceived by having the new groom 
dress himself in the clothes of his 
predecessor. 
Insects possess this sense to such a 
degree that flies have been the means 
of locating a dead rat under a floor by 
their settling over the body in large 
numbers, although there was no chance 
for them to reach it. Just where the 
organs of smell are in insects has been 
disputed among scientists. Sir John 
Lubbock is inclined to the opinion 
that they are located in the antennae 
and palpi, though some contend that 
insects smell as the air is taken in at 
the spiracles or breathing-holes which 
are scattered over their bodies. 
That fish have this sense to some 
extent is attested by fishermen who 
use essential oils upon their bait and 
secure readier attention from the in- 
habitants of the water. But fish seem 
to be less capable of smell than even 
the reptiles upon land who are not 
considered at all remarkable in this 
respect. To make up in some sort for 
this deficiency there are some kinds of 
fish which have four nostrils while all 
other animals that smell at all seem 
content with but two as a rule. 
Only those animals having a back- 
bone are equipped with noses that are 
unquestionably adapted to smelling, 
but insects, crabs, and mollusks per- 
ceive odors to a limited extent. Some of 
them are readily deceived by odors 
similar to those they seek. Lubbock 
calls attention to the fact that the car- 
rion fly will deposit its eggs on any 
plant that has a smell similar to that 
of tainted flesh. 
We are unable to say just what the 
nature of a smelling substance is which 
makes it so perceptible to our olfac- 
tory organs. Many things, both or- 
ganic and inorganic, have the power 
to affect us in a way which cannot be 
perceived by the organs of taste nor 
touch. The upper third of the interior 
of the human nose has the sole func- 
tion of recognizing them. We have 
almost no names for the various smells, 
but they are as distinct as day and 
night and arouse within us the most 
intense feelings. 
We are not only without names for 
smells, but we are far from being 
agreed as to the qualities of them. To 
one person the odor of sweet peas is 
delightful, while to another it is quite 
the reverse. Sometimes we consider 
a smell pleasant merely because of the 
associations it brings. The odor of 
pine lumber is grateful to one who has 
spent a season in the lumber districts 
where sawmills abound; and so the 
smell of an ordinary lumber pile gives 
pleasure to one where to another it is 
somewhat disagreeable. 
The sense of smell is one that tires 
most readily. After smelling certain 
odors for awhile one loses temporarily 
the power to notice them at all. The 
sense does not tire as a whole, but it 
merely becomes inoperative with re- 
spect to the odor continually present. 
Almost any perfume held to the nose 
soon loses its charm, and is only effec- 
tive again after a temporary absence. 
But while one perfume is not sensed a 
new one presented to the nostrils is 
eagerly appreciated, showing the sense 
to be fatigued only with regard to 
what has been there for some time. 
The owner of a large rendering estab- 
lishment in a city was called upon by a 
committee of citizens who objected to 
the smells arising from his plant. He 
went out with the committee to inspect 
66 
