64 THE ANTELOPE OF AMERICA. 



the purpose of showing that, in some respects, he partakes of cer- 

 tain characteristics supposed to be peculiar to each of these 

 animals. 



We have already ^een that to compare the hair of our animal 

 to that of the sheep is a strained ex})ression, while the other 

 parallels are not without reasonable warrant. I cannot help re- 

 marking, however, that it seems to me that the learned doctor, 

 in seeking for intermediate grades in the characteristics of our 

 animal, has quite overlooked that which is the most striking of 

 all; and that is the horn. If he combines characteristics resem- 

 bling peculiarities of several different genera of ruminants, his 

 horn seems to be constructed upon an intermediate plan between 

 the hollow-horned ruminants, of which there are sevei-al genera, 

 and the solid-horned ruminants which may all be embraced in 

 the genus Cervus, if we are inclined not to multiply classifica- 

 tions too freely. The former have hollow horns, which are dermal 

 emanations with osseous cores, which in fact are processes of the 

 skull. So has this ; but all other hollow horns are persistent, 

 while this is deciduous. This latter characteristic, has been 

 hitherto supposed to be peculiar to the Cervidte, all of which have 

 solid horns purely of osseous structure. The only thing in com- 

 mon which these two classes of head appendages have, is that 

 they may be considered ornamental, and serve as weapons of war- 

 fare ; to which, however, we may add that they appear more 

 generally on the male than on the female. They are provided 

 for both the male and female of our antelope. On no other ani- 

 mal do we find a hollow horn which is branched or bifurcated, 

 while this is a characteristic of nearly all solid horns. This hol- 

 low horn alone is branched, not so distinctly, by any means, as is 

 usual with the solid horns, but still there is the rudiment of a 

 branch, at least, which has been recognized by all naturalists as 

 a prong. If, then, we are in search of a bridge to span the wide 

 space between the hollow-horned and the solid-horned ruminants, 

 we find it in this animal and in this animal alone. 



Besides the horns, it more resembles the hollow-horned than the 

 solid-horned ruminants, and most of all, the antelope. Its genital 

 organs are very nearly like those of the true antelope ; and in my 

 grounds it showed a disposition to associate with the antelope 

 gazelle, while it was never known to pay the least attention to 

 either the angora or the common goat, any more than to the 

 deer, the sheep, or the cows. In only two characteristics can I 

 find it resembles the goat. One is, that it constantly emits an 



