TRACKS AND TRACKING 



soft foot which, being plainly visible in the ordi- 

 nary gait, becomes much more apparent where 

 the animal adopts a quicker motion. The toes are 

 then spread out to an extent never found in the 

 wolf, except when the latter is running very fast, 

 and consequently the nail marks of the two mid- 

 dle toes of the dog are about twice as far apart 

 as those of his wild relative. A wolf trail shows 

 the individual tracks ordinarily about eighteen 

 inches apart, while the dog, making the same 

 size or a slightly bigger track, steps at the same 

 gait less than fourteen inches ; and if, in trotting, 

 he should equal the length of wolf-steps, the 

 spread of the middle toes makes his tracks easily 

 recognizable. A good-stepping dog steps about 

 as near the center line as the wolf, but as his 

 steps are shorter, they appear more out of line 

 to the eye. This is an optical illusion, but it 

 serves the tracker's purpose. 



A young wolf, say less than one year old, has 

 as soft a foot as a dog's. However, as young 

 wolves go mostly in packs, following the trail 

 will generally reveal the identity of the animal. 

 Usually wolves do not track continuously, one 



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