HOW TO LOOK FOR SPOOR. II 



Sometimes the grass is too thick for this, and one has to follow up one of the two 

 turnings on chance, and after going a short way the smell of the animal may be 

 perceived in a place where he has stood for a few moments, his droppings may 

 be found, or he may have helped himself to some branch in passing. 



This leads us to consider tracking by browsing, which the hunter must not 

 neglect while looking for spoor on the ground. 



Along a path just described in thick tangled country the spoor of elephant may cross 

 that of rhino or vice versa, and the hunter keen on getting the one and not wishing 

 the other might be led off on the wrong spoor. 



In this case a branch torn from a thorn tree or a bit of chewed thorn dropped 

 on the ground would show that he was in the wake of a rhino, while along strip of bark 

 torn from the top of a tree would denote the elephant. The elephant is in the 

 habit of gathering young shoots springing out of the ground with his trunk as he walks 

 along, and, after eating the leaves off, throwing neat little bunches of stalks right and 

 left. The destructive way eland pull whole branches from trees and strip off the bark 

 is very noticeable. The trees and plants every animal feeds on should be learnt, and 

 the manner in which they pluck them. In dealing with this subject, knowing little 

 about botany, we have been obliged to use native names in describing each animal's 

 food. 



Although more tracking is done by spooring, the browsing often helps us when 

 we are stuck, and should be carefully observed and studied, in that it affords a much 

 surer indication of the time since the game passed. Wherever an animal feeds on 

 leaves he is sure to drop a few on the ground, and the extent that these have dried will 

 give the required information, as will also the moisture on the branch it was bitten from. 

 The dryness or otherwise of the leaf naturally depends largely on the heat of the day, 

 whether it is lying in the sun or not, and the nature of the tree it has come from, so it 

 would be hard to indicate any general rules for the same, but with the necessary practice 

 the approximate time is soon learned. It is obviously a matter of the highest 

 importance, on finding a track, to be able to determine its age, and whether it is fresh 

 enough to be well worth following. With the grass feeder, the grass he has been 

 browsing from should be picked and examined closely. With the kudu the ends of 

 shoots growing under trees should be looked at whenever the spoor passes near them. 



On finding a spoor the first thing to do is to determine its age. This can be 

 roughly seen from the spoor itself, with regard to how keen cut the edges are, and by 

 examining the earth closely. 



If it is thought to be fresh it should be followed up, and it will not be long before 

 the animal is found to have broken some stalk or trampled down some grass. The 



