Spoor v.

[f. SPOOR sb.¹ or ad. Du. sporen.]

  1.  trans. To trace (an animal) by the spoor.

1850.  R. G. Cumming, Hunter’s Life S. Afr., xxi. He could not see those [elephants] we were spooring.

1863.  W. C. Baldwin, Afr. Hunting, 122. We spoored them beautifully into a dense thicket.

1899.  F. V. Kirby, Sport E. C. Africa, xvi. 173. An hour later we spoored our rhino into a thick bamboo jungle.

  2.  intr. To follow a spoor or trail.

1865.  [W. F. Campbell], Short Amer. Tramp, i. 5. While thus spooring for some thousands of miles, other things were noticed.

1896.  Baden-Powell, Matabele Campaign, iv. One nigger-boy, who can ride and spoor and can take charge of the horses.

  Hence Spooring vbl. sb.

1850.  R. G. Cumming, Hunter’s Life S. Afr., xv. I had great faith in the spooring powers of the Bamangwato men.

1863.  W. C. Baldwin, Afr. Hunting, 392. Though we … had the benefit of January’s spooring, we could never find him.

1895.  H. A. Bryden, in Longm. Mag., July, 265. Preparing a fresh supply of snuff against his coming spooring operations.