TRACKS AND TRACKING 



pected was evil but did not know, for the wind 

 was not in their favor. The does with fem- 

 inine curiosity stretched their slender necks 

 in my direction and erected their great ears. 

 The group formed a picture long to be remem- 

 bered. Finally one stag, more knowing than 

 the rest, raised his white flag, spread the long 

 white hairs on his rump, and ambled off, and 

 the others at once followed suit. 



Deer tracks in the dunes are often abun- 

 dant and easily recognized. Usually the 

 marks of the split hoofs only are seen, but in 

 the softer sand the imprints of the two addi- 

 tional dew-claws show. When the animal 

 trots the hind feet are placed so exactly in 

 the marks of the front, that one rarely sees 

 the double imprint, but when the deer bounds 

 away in fright or play, all four feet strike the 

 ground separately. One such set of bounding 

 prints I measured and found that each jump 

 was four feet long. One can almost see the 

 graceful animals as one follows the clean-cut 

 tracks, sometimes of a great bounding stag, 

 sometimes of a doe with a little fawn. Usu- 

 ally these two trot along together, but some- 

 times the fawn springs about in small circles 

 near its sedate mother. 



45 



