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THE PRONG-HORNED ANTELOPE. 



(Antilocapra Americana.} 



The antelope family comprises many of The Prong-horn ranges throughout 



the most beautiful and graceful species the western part of North America from 



among horned animals. When we be- the Missouri river to the Pacific ocean, 



hold the curiously twisted horns of the and from the Saskatchawan river south 



sasin, the long, sharp horns of the pas- to the Rio Grande. It is not confined to 



san. the large, spiral horns of the koodoo the plains, but has been found in the wild 



and the shorter horns of the eland, not to valleys of the Rocky mountains to a 



mention the graceful bodies and limbs height of over eight thousand feet above 



of these animals, we are led to wonder at sea level. 



the extravagance of nature in furnishing The daily life of this interesting animal 



such a variety of appendages to these is thus described by Canfield, who made 



creatures. an exhaustive study of them and who 



By far the larger number of species of also kept them in captivity : "From the 



this family live in Africa and Asia, where first of September to the first of March 



they have reached the highest develop- one always sees them in larger groups 



ment of structure. They are not, like composed of bucks, does and yearlings, 



some families of mammals, confined to Shortly afterward the does individually 



any one particular locality, but are retire from these herds and give birth 



found on the plains and high up on the to their young. After a short interval 



mountains ; in a country sparsely covered they again unite with other suckling does 



with vegetation and in the thick forests ; and their little calves, possibly with a view 



in marshes and bogs. In fact, they seem to common defense against the wolf and 



to inhabit all varieties of country. While coyotes. The adult bucks roam about 



the family is thus diversified in habitat, singly or two together, leaving the moth- 



the different species are by no means so ers with their latest progeny to their fate, 



widely distributed, for while some spe- the young Prong-horns in the meantime 



cies, like the sasin, live only on the open gathering in groups of their own apart 



plains, others, like the chamois, live high from the older animals. Apparently tired 



up on the mountains, frequently above of the world and bored by society the old 



the snow-line. bucks wander about for one or two 



The subject of our sketch, the .Prong- months, frequenting localities in which 



horned antelope (Antilocapra america- they are not ordinarily seen. Two or 



na), is not as large nor so strikingly three months subsequently the adoles- 



horned as the other animals which have cent bucks again join the old does and 



been mentioned. In fact, so different is their calves, and finally the old bucks,also 



its structure, having hollow, pronged put in an appearance, so that one can ob- 



horns which do not increase by contin- serve herds, numbering hundreds, or 



uous growth, as do those of the true an- sometimes even thousands, after the first 



telopes, but are shed like those of the deer of September. A herd never leaves its 



family, and having a somewhat different native locality or roams over more than a 



structure of feet and different texture of few miles of range. In dry summer 



hair, that a family has been made for it weather they seek water and go to drink 



known as Antilocapridae. regularly once a day or twice in three 



