50 THE ELEPHANT 



select the cool depths of the forest, or a shady- 

 group of well-grown trees, and remain in the 

 shelter of the thick foliage until early afternoon, 

 when they move off once more. 



Proximity to a herd which has been tracked 

 during the early hours of the day may usually 

 be determined by the warmth or coolness of 

 their mountainous droppings, by the moistness 

 of half-masticated pieces of bark or leaves which 

 have fallen from their mouths as they passed 

 along, by the appearance of the branches which 

 they have torn down, and by the strips of bark 

 peeled off the trunks of the trees. Additional 

 assistance may be derived, especially in grass- 

 covered country, from an examination of the 

 stems and blades of the grasses trodden under 

 foot, account being taken of their moisture or 

 dryness. In thick jungle the utmost caution 

 must be observed, a handful of crushed leaves 

 or, better still, a small bag of flour being con- 

 stantly shaken in the air for the purpose of 

 detecting any momentary change in the light, 

 variable woodland breezes.^ Care is especially 

 necessary to avoid stepping upon dry pieces of 

 stick or leaves, stumbling, or advancing in any 

 but the most noiseless possible manner. In 

 favourable circumstances it is perfectly extra- 

 ordinary, and at times a little disconcerting, how 

 close one can come to a number of these animals 

 without in any way exciting their suspicions. 



On one occasion, in the Forest of Shupanga, 



1 Perhaps the best wind-gauge of all is a marabou stork's 

 tail-feather. 



