SKINNER — THE PRONG-HORN 
101 
and all interconnected. As soon as the animal is excited these muscles 
act, perhaps involuntarily, the hairs are raised and the glands are 
exposed, releasing a musky odor noticeable to man’s poor nose for quite 
a distance, especially down wind. No doubt the superior nose of an 
antelope can detect it a mile away on open ground. Has this animal, 
perhaps, a second odor meaning that the exciting cause is ended, or 
that it is not dangerous? 
In captivity antelopes are trustful, affectionate, and fond of being 
noticed; very playful when young, their growing strength soon makes 
them too rough for human companionship although 1 have yet to hear 
of one that became actually vicious. They like to follow people about, 
but apparently never lose their extreme nervousness; even a dislodged 
pebble being sufficient to put them to flight in terror, although they soon 
come back again. At such times the youngster, that may never have 
seen an adult do it, will instinctively “flash” his signal. The usual run 
of dogs bother little even a very young antelope, which has no difficulty 
in outrunning a pack of them. 
Unfortunately, prong-horns are very hard to keep in parks and 
zoological gardens, and indeed anywhere off the great, dry, open 
ranges that produced them. The superintendent of one of our zoolog- 
ical gardens writes me that out of thirty-two specimens only a few 
lived over one year, and that their best record was one that lived five 
years. I have heard of only two or three instances where young have 
been born in captivity and they did not live long in any case. Antelopes 
seem very susceptible to diseases and especially parasites of one kind or 
another. Their food must be carefully chosen for they do not live 
on a diet of rich green grass. A ration of rolled oats, clover, and a very 
little grass, with a little salt two or three times a week, has given the 
best results. But in addition to these difficulties, the great trouble 
seems to lie in the extreme timidity and nervousness that gives a captive 
so little rest and tranquility. 
In common with other animals, their life on the broad open ranges 
keeps them comparatively free of diseases; practically all of their 
troubles of this kind being due to infection from domestic sheep, cattle, 
and horses. 
Prong-horns in captivity suffer from pneumonia, malignant catarrh, 
pyemia, congestion of the lungs, and ulcers; most of these are climatic 
diseases and have not been serious among our Yellowstone animals. 
But with actinomycosis, or lumpy-jaw, the case is different. Some of 
our elk, deer, and antelopes have died from this disease; and in the 
