6 BULLETIN 1346, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



sidewise as though feeding on grass and looking about and then 

 continued to advance on hands and knees. Finalb/ the animal 

 stopped grazing, and when the writer was well within 100 yards it 

 actually closed its eyes and appeared to be dozing, as its head nodded 

 slightly up and down, apparently in complete indifference. 



Through the use of this sheet the writer had no trouble in ap- 

 proaching antelope anywhere on the plains, and he was inclined to 

 think that they took him for some harmless white animal. There 

 were many half-wild cattle grazing on these plains at that time 

 which were ordinarily shy and would run away when a man ap- 

 peared on horseback. After the writer began wearing this white 

 sheet, which not only covered himself but when on horseback would 

 spread over the rump of the horse, the cattle ceased to show any 

 alarm as he appeared and would permit him to ride through herds 

 of them, merely lifting their heads and gazing at him for a short 

 time and then resuming their feeding, the effect of the disguise ap- 

 parently being the same with them as with the antelope. 



It may be of interest to know that the specimens of antelope 

 secured by the use of this grotesque disguise formed the basis of 

 Doctor Merriam's description of a new geographic race of the 

 pronghorn, which he named Antilocapra americana mexicana. 2 



Racing. — One of the most extraordinary peculiarities in the 

 psychology of the pronghorn is its desire to pass in front of a 

 mounted man or a team moving by at no great distance from a 

 band. From 1883 to 1888 the writer lived in a section of Arizona 

 where antelope were plentiful, and frequently hunted them and 

 often saw them when riding in a wagon or on horseback along roads 

 or trails crossing their haunts. This area was mainly covered by a 

 great scattered forest of pinyons, cedars, and junipers, interspersed 

 with many small grassy parks of varying size. During the summer 

 antelope were distributed in small bands in these parks, sometimes 

 2 or 3 individuals together and at other times from 15 to several 

 times that number. 



It was a common occurrence when a traveler passed along these 

 roads for a band to stand from 75 to 200 yards away watching him. 

 Then they would suddenly start and run one after the other parallel 

 to the course taken by the traveler and dash across the road immedi- 

 ately in front of him, often within a short distance, after which they 

 would stream away and disappear among the scattered .tree growth. 

 When traveling on horseback and happening upon antelope in such 

 places the writer often amused himself by spurring his horse to a 

 gallop and continuing his course in a direction which would take him 

 by and away from the animals. At such times he tried to appear un- 

 conscious of their presence, and this procedure almost invariably 

 brought the expected response, and the animals began racing him 

 until they had gained a slight leadership, when they would dash by 

 in front across the road or trail, one after the other, frequently the 

 last of the lot being within 20 yards. 



Once the writer tried the experiment when he saw a solitary buck 

 antelope stand about 100 yards to one side of a wagon road. Ap- 

 pearing not to notice it, he spurred his horse at full speed across 



2 Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol, 14, p. 31, 1901 ; type from Sierra en Media, Chihua- 

 hua, Mexico. 



