Posted: May 16, 2000 at 18:12:58: by pabbott
Another thought on this subject: the tracker orc that was chasing them seems to have been of a special breed. The olfactory organs of the ordinary orc (how's that for alliteration?) may not have been that acute. It is said that the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War could smell American soldiers, but that seems to have been a function of different diet, deodorants and soap used by U.S. troops, rather than any innate racial differences. By the same token I suspect that Hobbits eating Orc food and wearing Orc clothing would quickly begin to smell pretty much like Orcs. From a biological standpoint I would guess that Hobbits and Orcs would be close enough cousins that there would be no difference in innate odor. After all, Frodo says at one point that orcs cannot eat poison. Though their food was different, and disgusting to free people like Hobbits, it was still food.
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