SPOTTED DEER 



the wonderful cleanliness of the fur and skin of most wild 

 animals will strike the observer. 



Coming to the actual shooting of spotted deer, there is 

 not much of variety or incident in it. The charm lies in 

 stalking a very vigilant animal, always on the alert, quick 

 of sight and hearing, and moreover, on account of its small 

 body and the nature of the surrounding country, needing 

 very careful shooting to bring to bag. In some of the 

 plains in the south and east you occasionally sight your 

 game at long distances, necessitating careful detours and 

 good stalking for your approach, but in the Northern and 

 North Central Provinces you will usually sight your game 

 within range, your only care being then to secure a favour- 

 able position for your shot. 



By always traversing a " park " up-wind you will gene- 

 rally sight your game in a right position for a stalk as far 

 as wind is concerned ; if sighted to leeward they will by 

 that time be on the run, having both heard and scented 

 you. If you will observe your native guide or tracker you 

 will see that he never takes the trouble to even glance to 

 leeward, but keeps his gaze roaming ahead or to windward, 

 knowing well that any down-wind animals will at once 

 make themselves scarce. 



As far as tracking is concerned, the Ceylon natives 

 cannot be called good anywhere. This is due, I think, 

 to the difficulty of tracking ordinary game during the dry 

 greater part of the year, and the fact that there is usually 

 game enough available to make a laborious stalk unneces- 

 sary. When the ground is damp a track shows up well, 

 but in the dry weather a track just made is not to be 

 distinguished from one a week old, except in the early 

 morning when the dew shows up a recent track very 

 well. Then, again, the ground on the outskirts of the 



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