Birds’ Sense of Smell

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 275, 21 November 1935, Page 12

Birds’ Sense of Smell

Birds rely apon eyesight rather than scent to warn them of the approach of posiblo enemies. Wildfowl possibly havo the best smelling powers, and m olden days the decoy men carried with him a piece of smouldering turf or cowdung to neutralise tho scent of .tue human breath when working the decoy. Even in wildfowl, however, there is a notable difference in various species. Diving ducks, such as tufted duck and pochard, may be approached down wind, when a similar attempt to approach mallard or teal would put them to flight. Curiously enough, if pinioned wildfiowl are released from captivity they invariably head for the nearest pond or stream. It seemed as if they can scent water. Contrary to vultures, havo a poor seuso of smell, rultures, have a poor sense of smell, and if a piece of carrionmeat is covered over they will fail to locate it, but crows will locate, hidden food byscent alone. Woodcock and snipe can smell worms they eaunot seo, and the heron also has keen powers of smell. In olden times various mixtures of highly scented oils were used to attract different animals. Itats were attracted by oil of rhodium mixed with oil of aniseed, - whilst the tincture of valerian attracted cats, and oil of musk was used for stoats and weasels. More interesting, howevor, is a mixture which at ono time was used to attract pheasants and to prevent them from straying. According to an old recipe, one drachm of oil of aniseed, oil of fennel, oil of cummin, and oil of caraway should be mixed with three and a-half ounces of olive oil.