PRONGHORN OF THE PLAINS 185 



day. Once when a boy I saw at least a thousand 

 in a North Park, Colorado, flock. 



A few are now protected in the national 

 parks and in private antelope reserves. But 

 they are verging well toward extermination. 

 Rarely does the antelope thrive in captivity. 

 Apparently the food ordinarily fed it in captiv- 

 ity does not agree with it. 



Mature antelope are marked with what may 

 be called revealing colours, which advertise 

 their presence and make them easily visible 

 at long distances: rich tan to grayish brown 

 on the back and sides, with clean white but- 

 tocks and sides of face and belly; the throat 

 faintly striped with white and brown; and a 

 touch of near-black on the head. The ante- 

 lope's colour is so distinctive and stands out so 

 well against most backgrounds that it may be 

 classed as an animal with revealing coloration. 



Two white rump patches flare up during ex- 

 citement; the crowded and bristling hairs may 

 be seen at surprisingly long distances. 



Possibly these hairs are also under conscious 

 control. At any rate, let one or a number 

 on a ridge see an approaching enemy and these 

 white patches stand out, and the next adjacent 

 flock, even though two or three miles away, 

 will see the sign or signal and also take alarm. 

 Though the antelope does not do any wireless 



