1879.] A Contribution to the Zoölogy of Montana. 435 
is the Haplocerus montanus, or. Rocky mountain goat-antelope. 
It is not rare, and is said to be easily domesticated. The most 
southern and eastern locality at high I heard of its occurrence 
is the Prickly Pear canyon. 
The abundance of game on the plains south of the Missouri is 
well illustrated by the experience of a day on which I rode from 
my camp to some bad lands which lay at a distance of perhaps 
ten miles from it. In the course of the ride I passed at least a 
dozen antelopes at different points, and the usual population of 
prairie marmots and several coyotes. On reaching the summit 
of a hill-I came suddenly on four fine buck Cervus macrotis, and 
soon after descried a few bison grazing at no great distance. 
Passing a stream I surprised three does of the Cervus macrotis, 
and afterwards came upon the rather fresh trail of elk. On my 
return from the bluffs in the afternoon I encountered four grizzly 
bears together. They displayed considerable curiosity, and for 
some time seemed undecided as to the proper course to pursue ; 
they advanced towards me one step and retreated two, and so 
alternately moving forward and backward they reached the edge 
of the rising ground upon which they stood; they then quickly 
disappeared behind it, and when they next came into view, were 
in full retreat some distance away. 
Reptiles and Batrachians.— There was nothing noteworthy 
observed respecting reptiles. Nota tortoise was seen, and the 
only abundant snake was the Crotalus confluentus. This rattle- 
snake grows to its largest size in the Upper Missouri region, and 
is abundant in localities of different characters. The next most 
common reptile is the Phrynosoma douglassi, and after it the 
Heterodon simus. 
Much more of interest was observed in the department of 
Batrachia. 
Rana pretiosa Bd: and Gird. I found this species quite common 
in the Prickly Pear canyon and valley, associated with perhaps 
another and smaller species, which I did not succeed in taking. 
This west coast form is apparently confined to the damper moun- 
tainous regions, as I never met with it in any other part of the 
Rocky mountains, and it disappeared as soon as we entered on . 
the plains. I observed a Zutenia in the same localities, but no 
Phrynosomas. The Rana pretiosa has shorter legs than the R. 
aurora, which with some varieties, can only be regarded as a sub- 
Species of R, temporaria, so far as I can see. 
