150 
ON THE GEOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY 
Antilocapra Americana, Ord. 
Prong-horned Antelope; Cabrec. Baird, General Report on Mammals, 1857, p. 666. 
The Antelope is frequently, but erroneously, called a goat by the mountaineers, who 
have given it that name to distinguish it from the Mountain Sheep. Very few of these 
animals are seen below Fort Pierre, none below the mouth of Niobrara river. Near the 
Bad Lands, Black hills, valley of the Yellowstone, and in the Blackfoot country they are 
very abundant, but, like the Buffalo, are annually on the decrease. They seem to live 
mostly in the open prairie, being very seldom seen in the timbered land. In the begin¬ 
ning of winter they may be seen for days following each other in files (if not disturbed) 
on their way towards the Northwest, leaving the prairie for the more rugged portions of 
the country near the Black hills or the foot of the mountains. In the spring, usually 
about March, they may be seen returning again, and distributing themselves over the open 
prairie. The deep snow and severe cold winter often proves fatal to them, rendering them 
an easy prey to the myriads of starving wolves. The Antelope usually brings forth two 
young, less often one and three. Bange: Plains west of the Missouri, from the Lower 
Bio Grande to the Saskatchewan, and west to the Cascade and Coast range of the Pacific 
slope. 
Ovis Montana, Cuvier. 
Bighorn ; Mountain Sheep. Baird, General Report on Mammals, 1857, p. 673. 
Confined entirely to the Bad Lands and mountainous portions of the Upper Missouri. 
They occur in large herds in the Bad Lands or broken country bordering upon the Yellow¬ 
stone and Missouri rivers above Fort Union. In the vicinity of the mouth of the Judith, 
the stone walls, &c., are noted places for them. They are the surest footed of all the 
animals in this country. The meat of the female is much like that of our domestic sheep, 
but that of the male is usually too highly flavored. They bring forth their young in May 
or June, most commonly but one at a birth. Bange: Broken ground on the Upper Mis¬ 
souri and Platte; Bocky mountains generally, as far west at least as the Coast and Cas¬ 
cade mountains of the Pacific slope. 
Bos Americanus, Gmelin. 
American Buffalo. Baird, General Report on Mammals, 1857, p. 682. 
The Buffalo are confined to the country bordering upon the eastern slope of the Bocky 
mountains. They occur in large bands in the valley of the Yellowstone river, and also 
in the Blackfoot country, but their numbers are annually decreasing at a rapid rate. De¬ 
scending the Yellowstone in the summer of 1854 from the Crow country, we were not out 
of sight of large bands for a distance of 400 miles. In 1850 they were seen as low down 
the Missouri river as the mouth of the Vermilion, and in 1854 a few were killed near 
