The northern territory police magazine $4 c tat

Indian Police Inspector T. K. Lalliri_oqf Calcutta.

Don also demonstrated and explained his tracking technique in thick grass. From 'this, I understand that the toes and the heel make two fulcrums during a man's walk. The heel, having more pad and being much flatter than the toes, actually depresses the grass over a bigger arca than the short individual depressions of the toes. The heel depresses the grass in rather an even manner, without any petal of grass being either scratched or tom or smoothed, whereas these types of marks are inevitably made by the toes on the grass.

The toes, in addition to the above marks, bend the tips of the petals in such a manner that these tips point towards the ground below, while the heels simply depress and smooth the grass over which this part of the foot is pressed.

Another point to determine the marks of the soles of shoes or the planter surface of bare feet on grass is to observe clods or small particles of sand or dust which the soles carry from the sandy and dusty surfaces over which an individual walks while passing through thick, grassy vegetation. The individual walks through such sandy and dusty grounds in and around the grassy grounds, and carries sand, etc., in his soles and imparts it on the grass petals.

Tracking Animals

This is rather easy and need not claim much attention here. However, it is interesting to note that a Tracker knows whether the horse he is tracking has a rider or not. When a horse is being ridden, it scratches the ground more noticeably with its hoofs than when it is running free. Such marks are distinct and obvious to a Tracker. Whether the horse canters, gallops or trots the tracks that it makes have distinct direction, and curves, and
TRACKING STORY WRITTEN BY EXPERT

The story " Tracking as a Fine Art ", is the work of a man who is himself an expert in the art of tracking. In fact, in conjunction with Sudarshan Singh, he has written a book with that very title, " The Art of Tracking ". It deals comprehensively and scientifically with tracking in India. While an expert used to working with experts, it can be seen that Mr. Lahiri was very _.favourably impressed by the skill of the justifiably famous Northern Territory Black Trackers.

Tarakmnar Lahiri is an Indian, born in 191o, and his short but intense study of the Trackers at work was made possible by the Colombo Plan.

He is at present Instructor at the Government of India's Central Detective Training School in Calcutta. Front 1940 to 1948 he was with the Criminal Investigation Department, Patna, as Senior Fingerprint and Footprint Expert; from 1948 to 1956 he was Instructor on scientific aids to the detection of crime at the Central Police Training College, Mt. Abu; and from 1956 until his Australian visit, last summer, he was attached to the Intelligence Bureau, Not' Delhi, and was Instructor (Deputy Central Intelligence Officer) in Forensic Science at the Central Detective Training School, Calcutta.

Whilst in Darwin he was mainly attached to Sergeants Lionel McFarland and Denzil McManus. This was not a particularly scientific or expert liaison, perhaps, but there are other things than mere science in Darwin, and Mr. Lahiri thoroughly enjoyed himself


show a straight pattern of travel. But when a horse simply grazes, or trots or gallops by itself, it does not make a regular pattern of direction or a straight trail mark. No sooner is it caught and led than it again makes a distinct trail pattern by its hoofmarks. Moreover, the human footprints would show where the horse was caught and led by the walking man. Similarly, the marks made by a ridden horse would show where a stray horse was caught and lassoed.

Horses can also be identified by their hoofinarks. When a horse is broken from its wild nature, and subsequently harnessed for riding, it attains an individuality in its trot, canter and gallop. Though some other horses may have the same general shape of hoof, yet the individuality in its walk, trot, canter and gallop shows a distinct pattern of treads and other distinctive features in its hoofmarks on the ground. As a horse is quite a heavy animal, tracking its hoofmarks, even on hard, rocky surfaces and thick grassy grounds, presents no problem to the Trackers.

Cattle, etc.

Cows, pigs and the like arc not at all difficult to track. The Trackers take some of their first lessons in tracking cows, pigs, etc., and master this in their infancy. First, they distinguish the type of cattle by their distinctive hoofinarks, and then they observe each beast's individual gait so as to identify the particular cattle and it is an everyday affair for an Aboriginal Tracker to find and bring absentee cattle and horses that have strayed from camp, paddock or yard.

SHE was only a Bushranger's daughter but, site never bailed up!