When I was a boy I used to read of the cleverness of the North American Indian in following the footmarks of animal or man, in keeping in touch with one another by imitating bird notes, and in sending messages long distances by smoke signal; and I used to wonder if a similar cleverness could be attributed to the Maori.

As I grew older, and my reading extended, I found that many other savage races were as proficient as the Red Indians at reading signs in the forest or on the plains, and at transmitting signals.

The skill of the black trackers of Australia has received world-wide publicity, but experts say that the natives of the Rajputana desert, in India, are just as skilful in following faint signs, while the tracking abilities of the dwarf Bushmen in South-West Africa place them among the foremost in the world, and even the keen-eyed Zulu is a past-master at following spoor.