The Master Sense A dog of my acquaintance, a black
Cocker Spaniel, has provided a new note on the senses of animals. He has always been remarkable for his skill in finding lost golf balls. Well over 1,000 are to his credit, and it was not fully known how far his skill was due to sight. Recently the poor dog has gone blind, but he still exhibits the old skill. The other day, for example, he tore off stout twigs of a thorn in order to get at a ball lodged in the branches. Now this altogether negatives a very prevalent theory that dogs aze conscious only of animal smells. This dog can smell a golf ball several yards away though it has not been touched by human fingers for weeks. It is likely that dogs do not perceive the scent of flowers. They can find a partridge in a patch of scented clover ; and has anyone ever noticed a dog taking note of a flower ? Yet they are probably aware of some of the more pungent vegetable smells. I once had a spaniel that quite obviously took heed of the smell of a ribes bush, though that is the only experience that I can contribute.
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