STALKING GAME. II5 



The point to decide is, how far off must an animal be from a given bush or patch 

 of scrub to be unable to see through it? That is a point which can only be 

 determined by practice in noticing at what distance you yourself can see anything 

 moving on the farther side of different kinds of bush. 



Remember always that until you get very good at detecting an object in thick 

 cover an animal, and especially a bush animal, will probably be able to see through 

 imperfect cover at a much greater distance than can you. Remember, also, that an 

 animal's eye, unless it be that of a giraffe or an elephant, is, as a rule, on a lower 

 plane than your own, and therefore looks through the lower branches of a bush. 



If it is at a distance of thirty or forty yards from a thick bush, the chances 

 are that it is unable to see through it, but it may see your legs underneath ; which 

 latter point people are apt to forget, for it does not follow that because the bush or 

 tree blocks your own view of the animal, that therefore it cannot see some part 

 of your person. If the animal is stationary and you are utilising a bush or other 

 cover by which to approach, you must fix on some object by which you can guide 

 yourself in the right line. When the centre of the bush or other cover is between 

 yourself and the animal you must then move straight onwards. If you leave this 

 straight line you will get a sight of the animal again and will also be in the animal's 

 range of vision. The best way to keep this straight line is to mark down small 

 objects such as stones and tufts of grass in front of you that make a perfect line 

 with the bush, then by keeping any one of these always in a straight line with 

 the centre of the bush you will be able to steer a perfectly straight course, and 

 so, as long as the animal does not move, you have the bush always covering 

 the animal. 



If the bush has been well chosen you will during these manoeuvres be always 

 concealed from the animal, and the nearer you get to it the better will you be 

 screened by the cover chosen. If the animal is walking to a flank the covering 

 object must be approached in an elliptic curve so as to always keep it between 

 yourself and the quarry. If the animal is grazing it will move very slowly, but 

 its movements will be erratic and it will stop at intervals and may even reverse or 

 move in any other direction. The best way to approach is to let it disappear 

 behind the bush on one side and then go forward as rapidly as circumstances 

 permit in what you take to be the right direction, keeping a little on the side on 

 which the animal disappeared. By so doing, when part of it comes again into 

 view that part should be its tail or rump and not its head, and so the chances of 

 being detected are reduced. If after going for a short distance it comes into view 

 unexpectedly, wait until it again disappears before you attempt another advance. 



