TRACKING ON BARE GROUND. 151 



pth. A plain bending or separating of the spears of 

 grass or weeds. This is generally caused by the feet 

 treading down the stalks at the bottom and not as the 

 next (No. 10) is. 



loth. A bending of the spears of grass or weeds, 

 etc., by the legs of the passing animal. In this case 

 the bend itself of the spears is hardly noticeable except 

 by the change in the shade of light cast by them. In 

 such case a faint streak of differently shaded color 

 will be found running through the grass or weeds, 

 visible only from some directions. 



nth. Change of color from brushing dew, rain- 

 drops, or frost from grass, weeds, etc. 



i2th. Upturning of the under surfaces (generally 

 moist) of stones, leaves, etc. 



These twelve classes include about all you will 

 need to study. There are of course some others, 

 but generally so accidental and rare that you had 

 better skip such places and seek the trail farther on, 

 such as the under surface of dry leaves pressed against 

 wet ones beneath but not upturned. It will not be 

 worth while to spend time on a trail in looking for 

 such signs. 



Where the animal has run or bounded it is of 

 course easy to follow. But this generally shows that 

 you have alarmed it, or that some one else has. You 

 already know your prospects in such a case. About 

 the only tracks worth following are those where the 

 animal was walking, and these are the very hardest. 



I should deem it unnecessary to mention the pecu- 

 liar shape of a deer's track had I not known the 

 tracks of both hogs and sheep frequently taken 

 for those of a deer. Both hogs and sheep have 

 more round and uneven pointed hoofs than a deer 



