THE ANTELOPES. 



muntjac, but are broad and flattened, ele- 

 gantly curved inwards, and provided with a 

 short prong directed forwards and another 

 ending in a hook directed backwards. The 

 pronghorn antelope is the only member of 

 the Cavicornia with a branched horn; in all 

 the others the horns, whatever their form 

 may be otherwise, are simple. In this case, 

 accordingly, we must recognize an approxi- 

 mation to the deer family. As regards the 

 rest of its organization, the pronghorn ante- 

 lope may be described as an antelope of 

 about the size of a small fallow-deer, with an 

 expressive head, which, on account of its long 

 ears, resembles that of a stag. The neck is 

 somewhat long and rounded, the body slender, 

 the tail short, like that of the deer; the slim 

 and rather long legs carry only two narrow 

 and pointed' hoofs. The accessory hoofs are 

 entirely absent as in the giraffes. The hair 

 is thick and wavy, but brittle. The general 

 colour is a fine isabel-gray, which becomes 

 darker on the back, round the eyes, round the 

 large tear-glands, as well as upon the nose; 

 the belly, the speculum on the back of the 

 thighs, the upper part of the head, and the 

 cheeks are white; a few white spots are also 

 to be seen in front of the neck and breast. 

 The horns of the female are less developed 

 than those of the male. 



This beautiful animal traverses the prairies 

 of its native land in great herds under the 

 lead of an old male. The hunters are unani- 

 mous concerning the grace of its rapid move- 

 ments, its extraordinary fleetness, its wonderful 

 leaps; as special characteristics they mention 

 its remarkable shyness and the courage with 

 which it defends its young against the prairie- 

 wolves (coyotes). When caught young these 

 antelopes may easily be tamed in their native 

 land, but they do not survive long in our 

 gardens, which cannot afford them the room 

 necessary for their movements. The prong- 

 horn is the only American species of antelope, 

 all the others without exception belong to 

 the Old World. Since there are no scientific 



89 



characters to distinguish them we group them 

 according to the form of their horns and their 

 size. 



The sole representative of the antelopes 

 in Western Europe is the Chamois {Capella 

 rupicapra (Rupkapra tragus)), PI. XXVIII. 

 It is a characteristic animal of our high moun- 

 tain chains, and ranges from the Pyrenees, 

 the Abruzzi, and the Balkans, through the 

 Alps and the Carpathians as far as the 

 Caucasus and Georgia. There are geo- 

 graphical and localized varieties. The "isard" 

 of the Pyrenees is smaller than the others 

 and is of a reddish colour; the "achi" of the 

 Caucasus has a slightly peculiar curve of the 

 horns, but at bottom it is always the same 

 species, a creature of not very elegant form, 

 resembling a beardless goat with a short thick 

 neck and thick knotty legs. The head is 

 small, rather long and pointed; the ears of 

 moderate length, straight and pointed; the 

 eyes large and prominent; the tail short; the 

 broad hoofs divergent, very hard and almost 

 sharp at the outer edge, the accessory hoofs 

 concealed under a tuft of hair. Both sexes, 

 which in all respects, except the somewhat 

 slighter build of the female, are exactly 

 alike, carry horns, which are supported by 

 almost straight solid bony cores, and, rising 

 at first almost perpendicularly, afterwards 

 diverge a little to the side, and finally end 

 in very sharp hooks directed backwards. 

 These horns, at first round and slightly 

 ringed, afterwards become smooth, and at 

 the hook, which is delicately grooved or 

 striated, somewhat compressed. The stiff 

 and coarse hair is longer in winter than in 

 summer. In general it is of a dirty gray 

 colour, in winter darker, in summer lighter. 

 With the exception of a characteristic dark 

 stripe stretching from the root of the ear 

 over the eye to the corner of the mouth, the 

 head is of a lighter colour. 



The chamois inhabits the mountains as far 



as the limit of trees, and sometimes advances 



beyond it. In winter it often descends pretty 



44 



Vol. II. 



