PRONG-HORNS 



After this I watched them many times during 

 the summer as they drank from the pool and 

 often saw them at a distance feeding upon the 

 prairie in company with others of their kind. 



One day in September before the rutting 

 season began, the doe and fawns came to drink 

 as usual. While feeding near the stream the 

 doe was disturbed by hearing the alarm of a 

 rattlesnake. Directly in front of her, coiled up 

 ready to spring at one of the fawns, was a large 

 rattler giving his signal of danger. Instantly 

 the doe raised her front feet, sprang forward and 

 came down on the snake with all her weight. 

 She then proceeded to paw and cut it into pieces 

 with her sharp pointed hoofs. After this she 

 raised her head, dilated her nostrils, gave a loud 

 snort, sprang forward and ran up the hill with 

 the two fawns close at her heels. 



A few weeks later I one day noticed a coyote 

 skulking along in front of me and off to my left 

 was another circling around the hill at a fast gait. 

 I knew they were after some other animal, one 

 intending to attack it from the front and the 

 other from the rear. As I reached the top of the 

 knoll I could see in a ravine a doe feeding and 

 [45] 



