24 THE ANTELOPE OF AMERICA. 



ITS DISCOVERY. 



This animal differs, in many important particulars, from all 

 other ruminants. It has been long known to the hunters and 

 trappers, but the scientific world is indebted to Lewis and Clark 

 for the first accurate information concerning it ; not from the 

 description of it which they give, for they do not pretend to 

 describe it, and only speak of a few of its peculiar habits ; but 

 rather from the specimen which they brought with them. They 

 sometimes speak of it under the name of goat. Richardson's 

 description is the most satisfactory up to his time. Audubon 

 and Bachman add valuable information, especially of its habits ; 

 while later still, Baird has given us a description which is re- 

 markable for its scientific accuracy, especially when we consider 

 the means at his command. These gentlemen all labored under 

 some very important errors, and were not awai'e, or could not 

 believe in the existence of those anomalous characteristics which 

 widely distinguish this animal from all other ruminants, and en- 

 title it to a separate place in natural history. 



These marks or peculiarities will be considered in their proper 

 places. 



SIZE. 



This animal is not so large as the Virginia deer, and is more 

 compactly built. A fair, average adult male, as he stands nat- 

 urally on the ground, will measure, from the end of the nose to 

 the end of the tail, four feet ten inches to five feet. Height at 

 shoulder, two feet ten inches ; at hip, three feet one inch ; length 

 of fore-leg, one foot six inches ; and of hind leg one foot ten 

 inches. 



THE HEAD. 



The head is short, and rather broad and deep from the upper 

 to the lower side. The face is rather concave. The muzzle is 

 fuller than on the deer. The upper lip is covered with hair ex- 

 cept a narrow line in the middle, which is naked, and extends up 

 so as to embrace the nostrils, which are large. 



The Eye. 



The eye is larger than that of any other quadruped of its size. 

 By a careful comparison of the living eye with the taxidermist's 

 scale, to enable me to order artificial eyes of the proper size for 

 mounting specimens, I found it necessary to select the next to 

 the largest. Indeed the eye is very nearly the size of that of the 



