New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-17
Thompson Seton, Yarns Off the Woods

The children thought very hard over this.
Don't you see" said Mr.. Seton. the dog has
been friends with long that he has lost
all suspicion and fear. When he wants TO smell Of
thing he walks straight up to It. without hesita-
ton. But the wild animal walks up cautiously and
suspciously stopping to inspect the thing for dan
ger before he finally goes up to It,
THE straightforward tracks are the dog tracks.
The hesitating tracks the wolf tracks.
And there is still another thing" continued the
Interpreter Of animal life. and it from
actly the same reason. Don't you how clean
and distinct these wolf tr ,cks are? And how the
print of the dogs foot Stops over? The wolf walks
with all the caution and secrecy of the hunted ami
NAL The dog did But now he has lost all
fear. and ne shuf1es he walks, like careless
boy. He walks in q careless. shutting. slovenly
way. But the VOLTS hind foot goes exactly In the
print of his forefoot. Every animal that goes ST.
lently. does the same way. But the dog puts his
foot down'any old way.
There is almost as much difference In human
tracks," said Mr. Seton. throwing some footsteps
Of men upon the screen. Here is with sharp
toes That shows the feet have always been COW
cred with boots. And the toes turn out a little
That shows the city man, used to walking on side
walks. Once L came up to these tracks In the
woods. and they tod a very interesting story.
This track here is deer track. Along came Mr..
Sharp Toes and followed the deers trail
knew he was tenderfoot for he followed the deer
straight No hunter does that When the deer
goes over a hill the hunter keeps in the hollows,
where the deer won't him. for at the top OF
the Mill the deer stops and looks back and all
around him. The deer and Mr.. Sharp Toes went
along this way for while. and then here, you see,
came in another track This is a broad track and
/ knew the man was either Indian man
who had lived with the Indians because that foot
Ia ! either gone bare or worn mOccasin. 1t
a long stride BY that l knew the man was used
to the woods. Moccasin Foot followed Sharp Toes
a little way, and then conteTnptuousIy struck of
70 side. Sharp Toes ahead but followed
TO the end and IL was Moccasin Foot that caught
the deer"
Next mass OF confused little tracks all run
ming over one another. were thrown the screen
This is what Used TO see in front OF my cabin
door when l got up In the morning. said the
lecturer. They tho tracks of the coyotes No
one has ever seen the West until he has heard the
coyotes cry That sounds Irish, but II is true
why. you would think whole pack OF wolves
was after you. ana it's just little coyote
there in the sagebrush, saying goodnight TO the sun
ell, l had u garbage pail at my cabin door.
! themselves to a free lunch which / very glad
they should have. and in the morning l would see
morning l saw some other tracks among the coy
ote tracks. Here they You see it is a broad
human track. The toes turn In. BY that l knew
II was an Indian 1t IS Il slender track. BY that
Now. what these slim little moccasIn feet
doing around my door? Nothing very bad. lou
see, they lead right up to my window There they
stood for while and peeped in. Then they went
away so they were just there for curiosity.
Now here are some funny tracks that / found
one morning. Here two sets of tracks all mixed
up you see. These are the tracks OF bobcat,
and these are the tracks OF a skunk. l traced out
those tracks with great deal OF interest and
but know pretty well after had got through with
the tracks
ing meal lie was minding his own business. and
troubling when along a bObcat, and
began TO bother him.
let me alone said the skunk or it'Il be the
worse for YOU And he moved on little, and
went eating.
The bobcat followed him up again. He