Scouting, Volume 8, Number 9, April 22, 1920 Page: 5
24 p. : ill. ; 31 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
SCOUTING, APRIL 22, 1920
A FEATURE that should make this
pastime quite acceptable is that one
does not need to go far from home to find
plenty of tracks upon which to work.
Tracks of the horse, cow, dog, and cat are
quite common and will serve to practice
upon although the first two are not overly
desirable because of the large amount of
plaster necessary to make a cast. Chickens
and other birds leave interesting tracks as
do also the many small mammals such as
mice, rats, squirrels, chipmunks, gophers,
rabbits, muskrats, etc. Even the tracks of
grasshoppers, worms and other lower
types of animals may be cast.
When camping in the North woods
where the tracks pictured here were taken
by the writer there is, of course, a wealth
of material always near at hand. As soon
as the eye becomes trained to note the
tracks your attention will be attracted to
many a neighbor that previously you did
not know was anywhere about. Some you
may never see and yet from the study of
their tracks and your casts of the same
you will learn many things about them.
In the search for tracks one should go
to the places most likely to be frequented
by wild animals and there hunt out the
spots where conditions are suitable for
track impressions to be made. In the fine
mud along trails through damp woods and
particularly near the edge of sheltered
holes where the water stands for some
time, or beside roadways where dust scat-
tered by passing- vehicles has settled in the
damp gutters, are the most likely places to
find good tracks.
Tracks left in mud show more detail
and usually give the best casts; see figs.
1, 3, 13. Wet firm sand along the lake
shores or in other places, particularly
along roadways, if examined shortly after
a heavy dew or rainfall, will give good
tracks; see figs. 7, 8, 10, 12.
TF a place is found where animals fre-
quently pass, the mud or sand may be
smoothed off by dragging a board over it,
thus increasing the chances of getting
good tracks. This should be done just
about dusk and the place should be ex-
amined early in the morning before the
sun, wind or other agencies may modify
the impressions. Such a precaution often
makes it possible to obtain a whole series
of track casts from the same animal.
From the very beginning the casts of
tracks made not only serve to supply de-
sirable souvenirs of the wild life of the
fields and woods without injury to the
animals themselves, but also offer many
interesting sidelights on the anatomy and
life habits of our animal neighbors. Ex-
amine for instance the deer casts, figs. 10
to 13, which were taken in the sand along
a country road. Fig. 10 shows the normal
foot of a full grown doe as she left a
woodland trail and took to the sandy road
for a piece to get easier walking for her-
self and the little fawn, fig. 11, that trotted
by her side. Fig. 12 shows how at one
place she sank deeply into the soft sand.
It calls our attention to the depth of the
cleft between the hoofs, and gives us a
different view of the foot as it is bent
slightly forward. _ Fig. 13 is the track of
a buck which, while running at full speed
across a clearing, tried to jump a road-
way, but in falling short landed in the soft
mud on the slope of the roadside and
spread its hoofs to prevent slipping.
Casts of Deer Tracks.
% natural size.
10. adult doe, normal track; 11.
fawn; 12. adult doe, track in deep
sand; 13. adult buck, hoofs spread
to prevent slipping.
Fig. 1 shows us how a small frog jumps
from his puddle and rests in the mud
close by. It also tells of the strange
'"bow-legged" arrangement of his fore
legs. Figs. 2 and 3 picture the fore and
hind feet respectively of a porcupine.
The front foot, cast in sand shows the
presence of four toes only, and also how
they can be extended and the foot cupped
to facilitate walking upon a hillside in
deep sand. The hind foot displays five
toes all beautifully cast in mud. Fig. 4,
a wolf track, readily points to its relation-
ship to the domestic dog. Figs. 5 and 6
are the reproductions of tracks left by
small rodents. We cannot help but be
surprised by the size of the feet of such a
little bird as the Vesper Sparrow, fig. 7,
and note the arrangement of the toes, three
m front and one in back. The " catch of
the season," fig. 8, is that of a bob-cat and
the cast shows the large size of the animal
the characteristic cat-like pads and sharp
claws, and tells us what a powerful beast
this cat is. Fig. 9 is that of a constant
visitor about camp, the skunk.
CASTING animal tracks should rank
^ beside animal photography as a pleas-
ant occupation for all nature lovers. Be-
cause it is so simple and inexpensive, how-
ever, it offers no end of possibilities for
Boy Scouts and other young folks who
delight in spending their spare time in get-
ting acquainted with God's great out-of-
doors.
GXVElYOUR BOYS THE
( WORLD OUTLOOK
Ontthe membership list of the World
Brotherhood of Boys, conducted by Boys'
Life, are the names of many foreign
scoutmasters and other young men who
desire to correspond with American
scoutmasters and older and former scouts.
As the thousands of American members
are in the main boys, for whom, of course,
the organization was primarily intended,
the Secretary desires to make a special ap-
peal to scoutmasters to invite their boys
to send letters to be forwarded to some of
their foreign colleagues. The rules of the
World Brotherhood are as follows :
Write the very best letter you can to an un-
known boy.
Put it in an envelope, but do not seal it.
Write your return address small in the up-
per left hand corner, or on the back of the
envelope. Leave the body of the envelope
clean so that we may put on the boy's ad-
dress. A t the bottom of the envelope you
may write the name of the state or country
to which you want the letter to go. Put on
enough postage to take it there.
Write on a separate slip of paper:
Your name.
Address.
Age {at nearest birthday).
Whether you are a Boy Scout.
The foreign language, or languages,
you can write.
Any hobby or subject in which you are
especially interested.-
Instructions about the kind and num-
ber of correspondents you want.
You need send the above information with
your first letter only. Send merely your name
and the words "old member" with later let-
ters. Enclose the letter and slip in another
envelope and mail it to •
WORLD BROTHERHOOD OF BOYS,
Boys' Life, 200 Fifth Avenue,
New York City.
We forward your letter to a boy—some-
where. When he answers it he becomes
your correspondent and you write there-
after to him, not through this office. 1 . ,
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 8, Number 9, April 22, 1920, periodical, April 22, 1920; New York, New York. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth283168/m1/5/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.