HUNTERS RECONNOITRING. 251 



justed, and the hunter fully equipped, en route to the 

 hunting grounds. If he is going out for the day, it 

 will probably be early, and the tints of morning still 

 visible in the sky. 



The ground as he passes along, will have been 

 carefully scanned, to ascertain by their tracks what 

 numbers and descriptions of game have recently passed 

 across it. He will, we doubt not, have secured the 

 assistance of the best local guides and tracksmen 

 that circumstances permit; in that case he will not 

 fail to get his native assistants to point out the 

 distinguishing marks, denoting what were these 

 various kinds of game. Native hunters can gener- 

 ally tell at a glance by what sort of animal tracks 

 were made, and how long ago it is since the creature 

 has passed. This class of information we fear can 

 hardly be taught by books; the young sportsman on 

 taking the field therefore, should as we have before 

 observed, take every opportunity of acquiring all informa- 

 tion possible respecting these important and interesting 

 particulars, by diligently questioning his guide upon 

 the subject, and seeking to discover the reasons which 

 cause him to come to certain conclusions; the observ- 

 ant sportsman will then make mental note of them, 

 without remark, for his own future guidance. Even if 

 one is of opinion that the guide is " drawing the long 

 bow, " or pretending to knowledge he is not possessed 

 of, it is in general good policy, at first at any rate, to 

 appear to be convinced by his explanation. We regret 

 to say very few white men are really good at this 

 sort of thing; it requires a lifelong experience of wild 

 beasts and their ways to become an adept in the art 

 of reading the signs of the wilderness. 



