ZOOLOGY. 389 



the base of the horn, may be added, making five in all. This 

 is the general form of the hora ; sometimes, however, old bucks 

 have but two points. 



The deer likes the hills and the timber ; the prong-horned 

 antelope (Antilocapra arnericana) loves the valley and the 

 open land. Before the Americans took California, the Sacra- 

 mento and San Joaquin Valleys abounded with herds of an- 

 telope ; but now they are rare in the northern part of the 

 State, and not abundant in the southern part. Many are 

 killed yearly for the market. In size the antelope is not quite 

 so large as the Californian deer, which it resembles closely in 

 form and general appearance. They are distinguished at a 

 distance by their motioa : the antelope canters, while the deer 

 runs ; the antelope go in herds, and move in a line following 

 the lead of an old buck, like sheep, to which they are related ; 

 while deer more frequently are alone, and if in a herd they 

 are more independent, and move each in the way that suits 

 him best. In color, the back, upper part of the sides and out- 

 side of the thighs and forelegs, are yellowish brown ; the under 

 parts, lower part of the sides, and the buttocks as seen from 

 behind, are white. The hair is very coarse, thick, spongy, 

 tubular, slightly crimped, or waved, and like short lengths of 

 coarse threads cut off bluntly. The horns are very irregular 

 in size and form, but usually they are about eight inches long, 

 rise almost perpendicularly, have a short, blunt prong in. front, 

 several inches from the base, and make a short backward 

 crook at the top. The female has horns as well as the male. 

 The hoof is heart-shaped, and its print upon the ground may 

 be readily distinguished from the long, narrow track of the 

 deer. The antelope is about two feet and a half high, and 

 four feet long from the nose to the end of the tail. 



The mountain sheep (Ovis montana) is found on the Sierra 

 Nevada, from the Tejon Pass to the Oregon line, but is a 

 rare and very shy animal, and is seldom killed. Its length is 

 about five feet, and its weight sometimes three hundred and 



