DOMESTICATION. 49 
the buffalo, as we call him; and if either is beaten in the race, he 
will turn away to the plains in apparent disgust, but will never 
cross the track immediately behind the train. 
Were our antelope compelled to live in a forest, no doubt, in a 
few generations, they would learn to make as surprising leaps 
vertically as we now see them make horizontally. Then it would 
be a very difficult matter to restrain them by inclosures. A Vir- 
ginia deer, in attempting to jump a fence when frightened, will 
strike against the palings from six to seven feet high, if on level 
ground, and yet he cannot compare in speed or in horizontal 
leaps with the Prong Buck. 
DOMESTICATION. 
Under this head I shall find it convenient to further explain 
the habits of this animal, but under different circumstances, or in 
different conditions of life. Hitherto we have only considered 
its habits in the wild state, where our observations have neces- 
sarily been very much circumscribed. In that limited degree of 
domestication to which it has been subjected, we shall observe 
many traits or characteristics, undeveloped or not discovered in 
his wild state, manifesting a degree of intelligence not otherwise 
suspected. 
Considerable numbers of the young are found every year by 
hunters and travelers passing over the plains where they roam. 
If very young, these are taken without difficulty by simply pick- 
ing them up, while those of a few days old will lead a consider- 
able chase before they are captured. These latter are not so 
likely to live as the former. Like the fawn of the deer, if taken 
very young, they will attach themselves to their captors in a short 
time, and attempt to follow them as they would their mothers. 
From necessity, these young kids are fed upon the milk of the 
cow, or preferably of the goat, if to be obtained. Very soon they 
commence to eat grass, and to ruminate. Experience shows 
that but a small percentage of these are raised. Dr. Canfield ex- 
perimented extensively in this direction at Montera, where the 
wild ones were very abundant all about him. He says they are 
first attacked with diarrhea. ‘If they escape this, they live a 
long time, one, two, or three months, growing slowly; but at 
the end of that time all the female kids, and almost all the male 
ones, become diseased, having scrofulous inflammation of the 
joints, get a cough, become lame and poor, and finally die after 
lingering some weeks. I never yet have known a female ante- 
