What is learnt from spoor. 139 



occasional spoor-marks or various other little signs ; where there is only one track 

 possible for the animal to have taken it will only be necessary to check such 

 signs at intervals. 



In green grass-country the trampled grass is followed, and the actual foot- 

 marks are looked for only now and again. The freshness of the spoor can be 

 told by the bruising of the grasses. In dead and dry grass the same trampled 

 grass line is followed, but by the time it is dead the tracks are numerous and 

 conflicting. Old tracks may be told from new ones by the appearance of the grass 

 or by mud and gloss on the surface of the flattened grasses. It will be some- 

 times noticed that the older tracks have broken stems of grass in them with 

 the grass-seeds withered and unmatured, while the seeds of the grass standing 

 round are more mature. Compare, then, the seeds and pods of the trampled 

 grass track with those of the untrodden grass beside it, for with spoor in dry 

 grass this is often the quickest way of telling a comparatively old track from 

 a recent one. With tracks of apparently the same freshness look for the spoor- 

 mark through the grass to see how clear cut it is. If the spoor-mark has its 

 edges worn away, or has been rained upon, or disturbed by insects or holds 

 fluff and seeds driven in by the wind, it cannot be very new. Just after grass 

 has been burnt tracks can be followed easily, as any burnt grass trodden on 

 is reduced to ashes or powder. In all kinds of earthy and dry countries well 

 stocked with game, so many tracks collect that they become confusing, until a 

 good shower of rain gives a fresh start again. In all thick grass and bush 

 countries fresh spoor can be told easily in the morning by the dew or after a 

 shower of rain, as the dew or raindrops will have been brushed off by the 

 animal's passing. On spoor made early in the night or during the rain, the 

 dew or raindrops will be seen still on the leaves and grass. 



When following spoor in grass note carefully any green patches passed and 

 see if they have been grazed down. By always noting what sort of grass game 

 select to graze on it becomes easier to find marks of browsing. Having found 

 them, a search on the ground will generally show a scrap which has dropped from 

 the animal's mouth, and by observing to what degree it has withered you get the 

 age of the spoor. 



Sometimes the grass is too short and sparse for it to be easily seen whether 

 any has been trampled on, yet the same grass is still quite long enough to make 

 it easy to miss spoor-marks whilst you are walking along. In this sort of country 

 if all the likely tufts of grass passed by are glanced at to see if they have been 

 browsed off, spoor is often found which would otherwise have been passed unnoticed. 



