198 
PRONG-HORNED ANTELOPE. 
often retire to the broken grounds of the clay hills, from which they are 
not often tempted to stray a great distance at any time. As we have already 
mentioned, there are means, however, to excite the timid antelope to 
draw near the hunter, by arousing his curiosity and decoying him to his 
rmn. The antelopes of the Upper Missouri country are frequently shot by 
the Indians whilst crossing the river ; and, as we Avere informed, preferred 
the northern side of the Missouri ; which, no doubt, arises Ifom the preva- 
lence on that bank of the river of certain plant.s, trees or grasses, that they 
are most fond of. Males and females are found together at all seasons of 
the 3^ear. We have been told that probably a thousand or more of these 
animals have been seen in a single herd or flock at one time, in the spring. 
It was supposed by the hunters at Fort Union, that the prong-horned 
antelope dropped its horns ; but as no person had ever shot or killed one 
without these ornamental and useful appendages, we managed to prove 
the contrary to the men at the fort by knocking off the bony part of the 
horn, and showing the hard, spongy membrane beneath, well attached to 
the skull and perfectlj" immoA'eable. 
The Prong-horned Antelope is never found on the Missouri river below 
L'eau qui court ; but above that stream they are found along the great 
Missouri and its tributaries, in all the country east of the Rocky Moun- 
tains, and in many of the great valleys that are to be met with among these 
extraordinary “big hills.” None of these antelopes are found on the .shores 
of the Mississippi, although on the headwaters of the Saint Peter’s river 
they have been tolerably abundant. Their walk is a slow and somewhat 
pompous gait, their trot elegant and graceful, and their gallop or “ run ” 
light and inconceivably swift ; they pass along, up or down hills, or along 
the level plain with the same apparent ease, while so rapidly do their legs 
perform their graceful movements in propelling their bodies over the 
ground, that like the spokes of a fast turning wheel we can hardly see 
them, but instead, observe a gauzy or film-like appearance where they 
.should be visible. 
In autumn, this species is fatter than at any other period. Their liver 
is much prized as a delicacy, and we have heard that many of these ani- 
mals are killed simply to procure this choice morsel. This antelope feeds 
on the short grass of the prairies, on mosses, buds, &c. ; and sufiers greatly 
during the hard winters experienced in the north-west ; especially when 
the snow is several feet in depth. At such times they can be caught by 
hunters provided with snow shoes, and they are in this manner killed, even 
in sight of Fort Union, Ifom time to time. 
It is exceedingly difficult to rear the young of this species ; and, although 
many attempts have been made at Fort Union, and even an old one caught 
