88 THE BIOLOGY OF HARDING COUNTY 



[Blackballed Mule Deer (Odocoileus Jieinionus hemionus). 

 Blacktails were formerly found in the brakes along the Little 

 Missouri and near the "Jump Off" north of the East Short Pines. 

 They were exterminated by 1900.] 



[Big horn Sheep (Ovis montamts). " Sheep Mountain," 

 a large butte at the end of Slim Butte is reported to have been 

 until the go's the home of the mountain sheep. The older set- 

 tlers state that in the 8o's they were found on each of the buttes. 



Pronghorned Antelope (Antilocapra ornericana). Antelope 

 were until about 1900 very plentiful in this region. In 1910 we 

 saw four or five bunches. A cowboy who rode about a good 

 deal estimated that there were over 500 in the county that sum- 

 mer. In spite of a fine and a year's imprisonment for killing this 

 beautiful animal they are rapidly disappearing. Although I visited 

 the most likely portions of the county in 1912 I saw none, though 

 I learned that there is still a small bunch in a large pasture a 

 short distance north of Camp Crook. 



[Buffalo (Bison bison). In 1874 the Custer expedition in 

 crossing this area saw no buffalo. An old settler reports seeing a 

 small bunch in 1886. Judging from the large number of skulls 

 with bullet holes through them, the* "market shooters" who 

 killed the buffalo solely for the hide must have 'slaughtered many 

 here. Northeast of the north Cave Hills and west of the South 

 Cave Hills we came across groups of numerous skeletons. In one 

 place more than 13 must have been killed within a few rods of 

 each other.] 



Dakota Red Squirrel (Schirns hndsonicus dakotonsis). I col- 

 lected a red squirrel in the Long Pines in July, 1910. They are 

 reported to have been seen in the West Short Pines also. 



\Yestern Chipmunk (Eutamias quadrkitatus borcalis}.* Quite 

 abundant in badlands and about streams near scattered trees. 



Striped Gopher (Citcllus trideciiiiluicatus pallid us). \Yith the 

 coming of the homesteader gophers are increasing in numbers 

 though they are far from plentiful. They are smaller as well 

 as paler than the common eastern form. 



Richardson Ground-squirrel (Citcllus richardsoni) . This 

 northern gray gopher or "flicker-tail" war, seen only in the ex- 



*A specimen of chipmunk from near the mouth of the Moreau river 

 has been identified by the Biological Survey as Eutamia.s pallidus. 



