A false scent or false trail is an incorrect

scent An odor (American English) or odour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds that are generally found in low concentrations that humans and animals can perceive via their sense ...

which may mislead an animal which hunts by smell, especially a

hound A hound is a type of hunting dog used by hunters to track or chase prey. Description Hounds can be contrasted with gun dogs that assist hunters by identifying prey and/or recovering shot quarry. The hound breeds were the first hunting dogs. ...

. This may be the result of deliberate interference by a hunt saboteur or it may be a form of control by the

master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

Aniseed Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to Eurasia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, such as star anise, fennel, licorice, and t ...

, a red herring or the

entrails The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and ...

of a rabbit are commonly used for this purpose. The term " red herring" comes from this practice.

Metaphorical usage

In the first and second editions of ''

A Dictionary of Modern English Usage ''A Dictionary of Modern English Usage'' (1926), by Henry Watson Fowler (1858–1933), is a style guide to British English usage, pronunciation, and writing. Covering topics such as plurals and literary technique, distinctions among like word ...

'' Fowler uses the heading false scent to explain writing that causes the reader to second-guess: because the writer knows what is coming ahead, he may forget that his reader does not, and unwittingly "lay false scent" by writing something ambiguous that can only be disambiguated later in the text (for example "I looked at the man with the telescope, and watched him put the telescope away"). The reader, once he realises he has been distracted, must go back and rescan the sentence or paragraph to understand the writer's intended meaning.

References

{{reflist Hunting