EXAMINING THE GROUND, SIGNS, ETC. 33 



not to get rid of flies, etc., generally wastes little time 

 around a spring, especially if much hunted. In these 

 dry countries, too, the tracks are soon obliterated by 

 those of quails, animals, ants, and other creatures. 

 There may also be other water-holes near at hand of 

 which you are unaware. So you must beware how you 

 decide from the absence of tracks that there are no 

 deer about. Deer also often remain several days or 

 even weeks in dense chapparal, moving very little, 

 though this is not apt to be the case in the fall, when 

 deer move more than in summer and winter. 



On the other hand, if you find many tracks at the 

 water you must be careful not to reckon a deer to 

 every four hoof-prints. When several deer come to 

 water together they may crowd and jostle each other 

 around the edge and change their standing-places so 

 often that the whole margin of the water is cut up. 

 Or some may stand around while the others drink, 

 and if not hunted or disturbed much they may linger 

 about a while. On such ground every track shows. 



In all such cases lose no time at the spring, but 

 circle around one hundred or two hundred yards 

 away from it, examining carefully all the trails and 

 open places in the brush or natural passes among 

 rocks that lead to the water. For even where deer 

 generally have no regular runways they nearly always 

 have certain directions from which to approach a 

 spring, and will either make some paths of their own 

 or take those made by cattle or other animals. Here 

 also much ground must be examined, for upon dry 

 ground tracks (except in trails) are not readily seen 

 by the. unpracticed eye ; and to such an eye both 

 tracks and droppings are apt to appear as fresh to- 

 day as .they would have seemed yesterday. 



