276 
SOMALILAND 
all probability be sheep and goats also. Half the reported 
leopards round villages turn out to be hyaenas. 
It is of no use to send a man to look at the spoor, you 
must go yourself and examine it. The leopard is a cat, 
and when walking and undisturbed, its nails, which are 
retractile, do not show in the sand. The hyaena is a dog, 
and has n on-retractile claws which always show in the 
sand ; besides, the formation of pad and toes is totally 
different. The spoor of the leopard is like that of the 
lion, but smaller, measuring 3 inches long and 4|- inches 
broad. It is almost impossible to distinguish between the 
spoor of a koodoo and that of a young bull or heifer. As 
a rule, however, cattle are found in much larger herds and 
frequent much more level ground, except in the Gulis 
Range. The spoor of the oryx bull is short and broad in 
the fore-foot, but the hind- foot leaves a long and narrow 
spoor. That of the hartebeest, which resembles the koodoo 
somewhat, is short and rounded at the toe. The spoor of 
the hippopotamus is like that of a camel with four toes. 
The imprint in the sand of a crocodile is like a glove 
with four fingers, and gives you quite a shock when you 
come out of a river, after a nice quiet bathe, and behold 
it fresh in front of you. 
The rough sketches of spoor have all been drawn and 
carefully measured by me from imprints found in the sand 
in Somaliland. The measurements, of course, vary accord- 
ing as the ground is hard or soft, loose or firm. 
RHINOCEROS. 
9i in. long. 
84 in. broad. 
ELEPHANT. 
16 in. long. 
17 in. broad. 
HIPPOPOTAMUS. 
9 in. long. 
10 in. broad. 
