PRONGHORN OF THE PLAINS 179 



The silvery, melodious peal of the yellow- 

 breasted meadow lark rang out all over the wide 

 wild prairie. Prairie dogs scampered, barked, 

 and played; butterflies circled and floated above 

 the scattered and stunted sage; thousands of 

 small birds were busy with nest and song, and 

 countless ragged spaces of brilliant wild flowers 

 illuminated the grass-green surface to every 

 horizon. 



The antelope is known as the pronghorn, be- 

 cause of a single small prong on each horn. 

 This prong is more like a guard and serves as 

 a hilt. In fighting an antelope often catches its 

 opponent's thrust on this prong. The horn 

 commonly is less than ten inches long. Many 

 females do not have horns, and rarely are these 

 fully developed on any female. 



Deer and elk have deciduous horns that 

 is, horns that are shed annually. Goat and 

 bighorn never shed their horns. But each year 

 antelope sheds the outer part the point and 

 sheath of the horn, retaining the stubs or 

 stumps which grow new horns. 



The antelope has a number of marked charac- 

 teristics and some of these are unique. It is 

 without dew claws; the hair is hollow and filled 

 with pitch; teeth are of peculiar pattern; it 

 eats mostly bitter or pungent food; has large, 

 long-range eyes of almost telescopic power; 



