180 



days ; but if the grass is fresh and green, 

 as is the case during the greater part of 

 the year, the Prong-horns do not drink 

 at all." 



The food of the antelope consists to a 

 great extent of the short, succulent herb- 

 age of the prairie, of moss, and also, to a 

 limited extent, of the young and tender 

 branches of trees. Like many other rumi- 

 nants, this animal is passionately fond of 

 salt and they will remain about saline de- 

 posits for many hours, satisfying them- 

 selves by licking the salty ground. 



The antelope is the swiftest runner of 

 any animal in North America, though 

 perhaps less agile and speedy than some 

 of its relatives in the old world. It has 

 been said by competent observers that so 

 swiftly do they run that it is absolutely 

 impossible to distinguish their limbs. 



The senses of the antelope are unus- 

 ually developed. Their sight is exceed- 

 ingly keen and their hearing very acute. 

 Their sense of smell is so well developed 

 that no danger can possibly approach 

 from the windward side. When a herd is 

 feeding, sentinels are placed on the out- 

 skirts to scent any impending danger, 

 and to give due warning to the herd. 

 Their curiosity is one of their most pecu- 

 liar qualities and seems to overshadow 

 every other sense. 



For a number of years this graceful 

 animal has been considered royal game 

 for the sportsman and a good round-up 

 of antelopes is considered a great achieve- 

 ment among hunters. Mr. G. O. Shields, 

 in his interesting book, "Hunting in the 

 Great West," very vividly describes a 

 hunt for antelopes, and we cannot better 

 illustrate the peculiarities of the animal 

 than by giving his pen sketch : 



"We had heard from some ranchmen 

 along the way that the bufifalo herd was 

 at this time grazing about fifteen to twen- 

 ty miles up the Big Porcupine, and know- 

 ing that antelopes are nearly always 

 found hanging on the outskirts of every 

 large herd of bison, we were on the look- 

 out for them, for it would not seem at all 

 strange to find them near the stage trail 

 on which we were traveling. We scanned 

 the country closely with the field glass 

 and were finally rewarded by seeing a 

 number of small white spots on the dead 



grass away up the Porcupine, that 

 seemed to be moving. We rode toward 

 them at a lively trot for perhaps a mile, 

 and then stopped to reconnoitre again. 

 From this point we could plainly distin- 

 guish them, though they looked to be 

 about the size of jack rabbits. We again 

 put the rowels to our donkeys and rode 

 rapidly up to within about a mile of them, 

 when we picketed our animals in a low 

 swale, took out our antelope flag — a piece 

 of scarlet calico about half a yard square 

 — attached it to the end of my wiping 

 stick, and were ready to interview the an- 

 telopes. 



"I crawled to the top of a ridge within 

 plain view of the game, and planted my 

 flag. The breeze spread it out, kept it 

 fluttering, and it soon attracted their at- 

 tention. They were then near the bank 

 of the river, grazing quietly, but this bit 

 of colored rag excited their curiosity to 

 a degree that rendered them restive, anx- 

 ious, uneasy, and they seemed at once to 

 be seized with an insatiable desire to find 

 out what it was. An antelope has as 

 much curiosity as a woman, and when 

 they see any object that they don't quite 

 understand, they will travel miles and run 

 themselves into all kinds of danger to 

 find out what it is. They have been 

 known to follow an emigrant or freight 

 wagon with a white cover several miles, 

 and an Indian brings them within reach 

 of his arrow by standing in plain view 

 wrapped in his red blanket. Some hunt- 

 ers "flag" them by lying down on their 

 back, holding one foot as high as possi- 

 ble, and swinging it to and fro. A piece 

 of bright tin or a mirror answers the 

 same purpose on a clear day. Almost 

 any conspicuous or strange-looking ob- 

 ject will attract them, but the most con- 

 venient, as well as the most reliable at 

 all times, is the little red flag, such as we 

 employed in this instance. 



"Huffman went to the top of another 

 ridge, to my right and some distance in 

 advance, and Jack crawled into a hollow 

 on the left, and well in advance, we three 

 forming a half circle, into which it was 

 our intention if possible to decoy the 

 game. When they first discovered our 

 flag they moved rapidly toward it, some- 

 times breaking into a trot, but when they 



