64 THE ANTELOPE OF AMERICA. 
the purpose of showing that, in some respects, he partakes of cer- 
tain characteristics supposed to be peculiar to each of these 
animals. 
We have already seen that to compare the hair of our animal 
to that of the sheep is a strained expression, while the other 
parallels are not without reasonable warrant. I cannot help re- 
marking, however, that it seems to me that the learned doctor, 
in seeking for intermediate grades in the characteristics of our 
animal, has quite overlooked that which is the most striking of 
all; and that is the horn. If he combines characteristics resem- 
bling peculiarities of several different genera of ruminants, his 
horn seems to be constructed upon an intermediate plan between 
the hollow-horned ruminants, of which there are several genera, 
and the solid-horned ruminants which may all be embraced in 
the genus Cervus, if we are inclined not to multiply classifica- 
tions too freely. The former have hollow horns, which are dermal 
emanations with osseous cores, which in fact are processes of the 
skull. So has this; but all other hollow horns are persistent, 
while this is deciduous. This latter characteristic, has been 
hitherto supposed to be peculiar to the Cervide, all of which have 
solid horns purely of osseous structure. The only thing in com- 
mon which these two classes of head appendages have, is that 
they may be considered ornamental, and serve as weapons of war- 
fare; to which, however, we may add that they appear more 
generally on the male than on the female. They are provided 
for both the male and female of our antelope. On no other ani- 
mal do we find a hollow horn which is branched or bifurcated, 
while this is a characteristic of nearly all solid horns. This hol- 
low horn alone is branched, not so distinctly, by any means, as is 
usual with the solid horns, but still there is the rudiment of a 
branch, at least, which has been recognized by all naturalists as 
a prong. If, then, we are in search of a bridge to span the wide 
space between the hollow-horned and the solid-horned ruminants, 
we find it in this animal and in this animal alone. 
Besides the horns, it more resembles the hollow-horned than the 
solid-horned ruminants, and most of all, the antelope. Its genital 
organs are very nearly like those of the true antelope; and in my 
grounds it showed a disposition to associate with the antelope 
gazelle, while it was never known to pay the least attention to 
either the angora or the common goat, any more than to the 
deer, the sheep, or the cows. In only two characteristics can I 
find it resembles the goat. One is, that it constantly emits an 
