40 
The Prong- Horned Antelope 
Troni 
here, and our observations have confirmed 
the opinion I have before advanced. For 
example, the Greyhounds have, upon sev- 
eral diffe ent occasions, run down and 
captured the Deer and the Prairie-rabbits, 
which are also considered very fleet; but 
although they have had very many races 
with the Antelope under 
favorable circumstances, yet 
they have never, in one in- 
stance, been able to overtake 
them; on the contrary, the 
longer the chase continued, 
the greater has been the dis- 
tance between them. The 
Cerviis Virginianus (our 
Red-deer) has generally 
been considered the fleetest 
animal upon the continent 
after the Horse, but the 
Antilocapra Americana, or 
Prong-horned Antelope of 
the plains, is very much 
swifter." ("Exp. Red 
River," 1854, p. 62.) 
Greyhounds have doubt- 
less caught many Antelopes 
in open chase, but I never 
yet heard of one Greyhound 
catching a full-grown, un- 
wounded buck Antelope by 
fair running. 
I have often heard rail- 
roaders tell of races between trains and Ante- 
lope. When running at the ordinary rate of 
tw^enty-five to thirty miles an hour, the engine 
could not pass these fleet coursers, but when 
the engineers turned on all speed so as to 
run at a thirty-five-mile rate, the train forged 
ahead, and in a mile or so the Antelope turned 
aside and gave it up, disgusted to find that at 
last there was something on the plains that 
could outrun them. 
In general I have found that the wild ani- 
mals are less swift than is commonly sup- 
posed; their strong point is the quickness 
with which they can get up full speed. 
Their "muzzle" velocity is indeed a matter 
of life and death, for most predaceous creat- 
ures, especially the Cats, give up the chase 
at once if they fail on the first dash. Fur- 
thermore, I have been continually impressed 
by the smallness of difference in speed. The 
few seconds that one animal saves in mak- 
ing its mile is evidently of vital importance. 
The scale I have attempted, is founded on 
the animal's best rate for a mile. A rate 
that is representative has been chosen, 
rather than the phenomenal, or the record 
of each species. 
Thus the best Horse record for a mile is 
at the rate of over thirty-six miles an hour. 
I prefer, however, to set the Horse at thirty- 
four miles an hour, as many 
Horses attain this rate. 
Best speed for a mile 
is at the rate of 
Racehorse 34 miles per hour. 
Prong-horned Ante- 
lope 32 " " " 
Greyhound 30 " " " 
Texan Jack Rabbit. 28 " " " 
Common Fox 26 " " " 
Northern Coyote. . .24 " " " 
Foxhound 22 " " " 
American Grev 
Wolf '.20 " " " 
fore 
Tracks of large Antelope 
In this connection it is 
interesting to note that the 
best speed of a man for loo 
yards is seconds; this is 
at the rate of 21 J miles an 
hour. A man's best speed 
for a mile is 4 minutes i2| 
seconds, or at the rate of 14 
miles an hour. An ordinary 
runner makes a mile in five 
minutes, i. e., at the rate of 
12 miles an hour, so that 
what actually counts in the 
race is, as usual, the tri-fie 
more speed that each animal 
can command. 
All travellers and hunters agree that the 
Antelope can cover an astounding distance 
in a single leap, but none of them tell us 
what they mean by "astounding"; whether 
fifteen feet or fifty, remains to be ascertained. 
Judge Caton, however, points out that thejr 
leaping power is almost confined to the hori- 
zontal. They are so essentially creatures 
of the open plains and so unaccustomed to 
high jumping that a four-foot fence was 
enough to confine them. 
This animal is credited with uncontrol- 
lable curiosity. In the old days of Lewis 
and Clarke the recognized method of tolling 
Antelope within shot was to wave a hand- 
kerchief on a stick in their plain view, the gun- 
ner himself remaining concealed, and usual- 
ly, after much doubt and many circlings, the 
herd ventured within range. At one time, 
we are told by travellers, any unusual object 
was enough to attract the Antelope. 
But they learned wisdom in later years. 
