10. _Description of targets._—In paragraph 2 reference was made to the necessity for a satisfactory working system for designating or describing targets. One of our present embarrassments lies in the multiplicity of methods and the incident confusion in the mind of the soldier. Another source of error lies in the tendency of men to fancy that the _ears_ of listening soldiers take in and digest a description as rapidly as the _eye_ can travel from point to point. The ear, as compared with the eye, is very slow. The immediate deduction from this is that descriptions must be shorn of all unnecessary words, and that they must be as simple and clear as possible. It also emphasizes the advantage of following so far as practicable fixed methods of expression. Recruits should be taught the general plan followed in describing targets in order that they may waste no time from lack of comprehension of the relation of the different elements of the description or the terms employed. The use of a single form will not suffice, since in some cases the target is so evident that no mistake can be made, and the simple designation such as “That troop of white-horse cavalry, range 1,000 yards,” will identify it beyond all question; while in other cases the particular target may be so obscure and liable to confusion with other targets that a reference point and some system of coordinates must be employed. In general, targets with reference to their designation will fall under the following heads: (_a_) Those that stand out so plainly that there can be no possibility of doubt as the target meant. (_b_) Those that are plainly visible, but are liable to be confused with other targets of a similar nature and range. (_c_) Those less distinctly visible and more difficult to pick up on account of peculiar background, confusion with other objects, etc. (_d_) Targets visible only through field glasses, and that may or may not present the additional difficulties of danger of confusion with other objects. Case (_a_) has already been referred to. The system consists in the simple announcement of: 1. The objective. 2. The range. Ingenious people sometimes combine horizontal and vertical clock systems in designating a target whenever possible to do so, but this is a violation of the rule of simplicity and should never be done unless evidently necessary. The mere fact that it is necessary or desirable to use a reference point does not in all cases require use of both systems, as the reference point may be so evident that no clock coordination is necessary. When such designation _is_ necessary, the horizontal clock face is used in coordinating the reference point and the vertical clock face for locating the subsequent points. 11. Instruction in target description is simple but must be thoroughly understood. An illustration by means of case (d) will cover the entire subject so far as necessary.