HATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



DEPARTMENT BULLETIN No. 



Washington, D. C. 



August, 1925 



STATUS OF THE PRONGHORNED ANTELOPE, 1922-1924 



By Edward W. Nelson, Chief, Bureau of Biological Survey 



CONTENTS 



Page 



The prongliorned antelope 1 



Former and present abundance of 



pronghorns 1 



Characteristics of the American ante- 

 lope 4 



Chosen habitat 7 



Conservation and control 8 



Conservation organizations and the 



antelope 



Washington conference on the con- 

 servation of the pronghom 11 



Page 



Establishment of antelope refuges in 

 Nevada 14 



Proposed Owyhee Antelope and Sage- 

 hen Refuge, Idaho- 15 



Restocking experiments, 1924 16 



Methods of capturing and transplant- 

 ing antelope 18 



Results of a census of existing ante- 

 lope 22 



THE PRONGHORNED ANTELOPE 



The pronghorn, or American antelope {Antiloca-pra americcuna) , 

 is the most beautiful and graceful of America's big-game animals 

 and has the distinction of being the only species of antelope exist- 

 ing in the New World at the time of its discovery by Europeans. 'It 

 is not closely related to the antelopes of the Old World; but, as in 

 the case of many other species of American mammals and birds, it 

 was named by the early settlers from its general resemblance to the 

 well-known Old World group. It is apparently of American origin, 

 as shown by fossil remains of related forms. In addition, remains 

 of species belonging to the true antelopes once inhabiting this con- 

 tinent have been found in fossil beds from coast to coast, some of 

 which show remarkably close affinity to still-existing African types. 



FORMER AND PRESENT ABUNDANCE OF PRONGHORNS 



The first record of the prongliorned antelope having been seen by 

 Europeans was published in L723 in Torquemada's Monarquia In- 

 diana, 1 in which is described a great hunt made, in honor of the 

 oy, Antonio Mendoza, in 1540, at a place in the extreme south- 

 i ii part of the State of Hidalgo and adjoining parts of the 



: Vol. i, book .",, j,j,. t;i i 612. 

 14849* -25 l 



