324 EXTINCT AND VANISHING MAMMALS 



nape, and upper part of the back and the outside of the limbs 

 are rich reddish brown, with a mixture of blackish on the 

 muzzle and in the short mane. On the throat the reddish 

 brown of the upper parts extends as two collars, separated by 

 a white space, around the throat, although the lower one is 

 often incomplete in the middle line below. Under parts and 

 flanks and a prominent rump-patch, white. Tail and a central 

 dark line dividing this patch are colored like the back or 

 darker. Horns erect and diverging, the posterior and longer 

 point curving backward, the anterior point short and blunt, 

 projecting forward. 



The Mexican race is similar but paler, with a tinge of cinna- 

 mon. That of the peninsula of Lower California has the ears 

 darker, with the facial markings dark and strongly contrasting 

 with the pale areas. The Oregon race is slightly larger than 

 the typical race of the plains, with relatively larger feet, 

 longer horns, and slightly paler color. The distinctions between 

 these races are slight and the distributional areas need more 

 careful mapping. 



Pronghorns are characteristic of open plains country of a 

 semi-desert nature and seldom enter tree-grown areas except 

 in winter to find shelter from storms. Their flashing of the 

 erectile white hair of the rump-patch makes a remarkably 

 striking semaphore visible at a great distance in sunlight and 

 affords an automatic danger signal to others of their kind. 

 They go in bands of varying size according to the circumstances 

 and when once alarmed can reach a great speed, seeming 

 fairly to fly over the ground. A curious habit seen in this and 

 in some other animals, as gazelle in the Gobi or seabirds in open 

 ocean, is a seeming desire to match speed with pursuers, and, 

 attaining a sufficient lead, to cross in front. Another char- 

 acteristic trait is curiosity, leading animals often to approach 

 unfamiliar appearing objects. Nelson tells of enticing shy 

 animals up within gunshot by donning a white sheet and ap- 

 proaching them on all fours. 



In an important paper on the status of the pronghorned 

 antelope, Dr. E. W. Nelson (1925) presents a careful summary 

 of its former and recent distribution. It originally ranged over 

 an enormous area, from the present provinces of Manitoba, 

 Saskatchewan, and Alberta in the north to the southern part 

 of Texas and the Mexican tableland in the south, and from the 



