244 ADVENTURES OF DR. ALLEN. 



through it, while the velvet or membrane commences to form 

 under the old horn. As soon as the new membrane is formed 

 about the pith, the outer horn falls off. 



In 1877 I wrote an article about the shedding of the an- 

 telope's horns, and almost all of the old-timers declared that 

 the specimen I had in hand was only a freak. I then began 

 a series of examinations and was rewarded by positive proof 

 that my original statement was correct. My second article 

 was published in "The American Field" in 1888, which 

 brought the entire sporting world down upon my head in 

 contradiction. Finally, Morris Gibbs, one of America's best 

 naturalists, came to my relief and established the fact, but 

 there are many sportsmen who do not yet believe it. 



The hair of the antelope is soft and brittle ; in winter a 

 fine wool grows underneath, which protects them from cold 

 and storm. After the intense cold of the winter, they are the 

 first animals to fatten on the new vegetation. The females 

 generally have two young ones in the spring, these are spot- 

 ted like deer. The antelopes have no dewclaws, or secon- 

 dary hoofs, like the deer, and are easily domesticated. 



Their curiosity often brings them within easy range of 

 the hunter. They are often flagged by a red handkerchief 

 or by a hunter lying down and keeping his feet moving 

 around above his head. Their "woman's curiosity" has been 

 the cause of the death of thousands of them, but not of late 

 years, as they have learned and now avoid these tricks. Their 

 skins, if taken in early fall and properly tanned, make very 

 fine underclothing, and prevent one from taking cold in 

 changeable weather. 



The young antelopes leave no scent which a wolf or 

 hound can follow. The male antelope often wanders off in 

 summer among the pine-covered hills and lies under the shade 

 of the trees, where it is cool, until the winter storms drive the 



