THE AMERICAN ANTELOPE 



753 



is the only way we can fully study them. As the habits 

 and morphology of the species have as yet by no means 

 been exhausted, it is to be hoped that both science and 

 private individuals will make constant endeavors to study 

 them by such methods. 



Every one who has ever hunted the antelope is aware 

 of its fleetness for a short spurt, and how it then be- 

 comes fatigued and is even sometimes captured alive. 

 While at Fort Laramie, I often saw these animals run 

 down and taken with a pack of gaunt and vigorous grey- 

 hounds. In the chase they make some truly wonderful 

 horizontal springs, but they fail utterly when they come 

 to jump over anything a yard or more in height. During 

 the rutting season the old bucks fight each other with 

 all the lusty courage of yore, while the does never lack 

 the necessary spirit to stoutly defend their young against 



prairie, where the grass grew to a considerable height. 

 They surrounded the animals and soon closed in upon 

 them, which caused them to become so bewildered that 

 they were at a loss to know what to do. All they could 

 do in their fright and amazement was to huddle together, 

 or wheel about in circles, or stand and stamp their feet, . 

 as the danger they were in became more and more ap- 

 parent to them. "In the meanwhile, taking care to keep 

 our bodies concealed in the long grass, we had continued 

 to approach; and being now within sixty yards of the 

 panic-stricken animals, I rose upon my feet, took delib- 

 erate aim, and fired into their midst. Sykesey and Tuo- 

 lumne followed the example, and the Indians discharged 

 their arrows. I reloaded as quickly as possible and fired 

 a second shot, then, dropping the rifle, pulled my re- 

 volver in my right arid my bowie-knife in my left hand, 



THOSE LIVING OF THE PIONEER SURVEYORS OF THE "TERRITORIES" WILL RECALL THIS SCENE 



Figure 10. It is the right-hand third of a panoramic view of the "Glacial Lake and Moraines, on the New Fork of Green River Wind River 

 Mountains. Photograph by the author from Hayden's Twelfth Annual, United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories. 

 Specially selected to show the excellent running attitudes of the antelopes. From one of the most famous of the Government surveys, published 

 in the early 80's. 



any danger that threatens. Hunters also know how to 

 take advantage of the almost insane curiosity these ani- 

 mals show when approached by any strange object on 

 the feeding-grounds. The endeavor to inform himself 

 on the salient points of a red flannel shirt waving in the 

 air, has cost many an antelope his life, and I doubt very 

 much whether any of them can tell a great deal about 

 that garment today; I have induced them a number of 

 times to approach me by simply lying on my back on 

 the prairie and kicking my heels in the air. 



Not a few of the early accounts of antelope hunting 

 are very interesting, while others are, in some respects, 

 quite remarkable. Here is one from an old work en- 

 titled, "Adventures of James C. Adams," which is 

 quoted in The Antelope and Deer of America. It seems 

 that Adams, together with a hunting-party of fifty men, 

 struck a bunch of some fifty antelope out on the open 



rushed into the thick of the herd, which continued wheel- 

 ing and tramping around in a circle, seeing themselves 

 surrounded on all sides, and too much alarmed to fly. 

 At the same time my comrades rushed forward, and we 

 were all soon mixed up together myself, the Indians, 

 and the antelopes. Having discharged the shots of my 

 pistol, I began plying my knife, and as the Indians used 

 theirs, we wounded several that escaped our fire-arms. In 

 the midst of the excitement a buck broke away from the 

 herd, and was immediately followed by all that were able 

 to get away, some dragging lamed limbs after them. As, 

 however, six dead and five wounded lay before us, there 

 was no use pursuing the flying band, and they were 

 allowed to escape, although we might easily have pro- 

 cured a dozen more." 



Until late in the 70's the Indians on the plains de- 

 pended to no little extent on the antelope for meat 



