PRONGBUCK. 
329 
of the world ’ and fleeing from society. After two or three months, the young bucks 
and does join the old does and their kids, and Anally, by the first of September, all 
are together once more in bands of hundreds or thousands. Any particular band 
of antelopes does not leave the locality where they grow ujd, and never ranges more 
than a few miles in different directions.” 
At the present day prongbuck are seldom, however, met with in numbers any¬ 
thing like those just mentioned. During the pairing-season the bucks are comba¬ 
tive and frequently engage in fierce contests among themselves. I 11 defence of her 
young the female prongbuck is said to exhibit great boldness, sometimes even 
beating off the attacks of the coyote by the vigorous use of both horns and hoofs. 
Audubon and Backman, in describing the contests between the bucks, state that, 
“ when a male sees another approaching, or accidentally comes upon one of his rivals, 
both parties run at each other with their heads lowered and their eyes flashing 
angrily, and while they strike with their horns they wheel and bound with prodigious 
rapidity, giving and receiving severe wounds; sometimes, like fencers, getting within 
each others’ ‘ points,’ and each hooking his antagonist with the recurved branches of 
his horns.” 
In spite of their extreme speed, prongbuck are but poor jumpers, and appear 
unable' to leap over any large object that may be in their path; this incapacity 
being attributed to the open nature of the country which these animals generally 
frequent. Mr. Caton states that “this inability to leap over high objects may no 
doubt be attributable to the fact that they live upon the plains, where they rarely 
meet with such obstructions, and so they and their ancestors for untold generations 
have had no occasion to overleap high obstructions, and thus from disuse they do 
not know how to do it, and never attempt it when they do meet them.” The same 
writer also states that if a prongbuck on the plains desires to cross the railroad 
track, when alarmed by the cars, as is sometimes the case, he will strain every muscle 
to outrun the train and cross ahead of it, as if he suspected a purpose to cut him off 
from crossing; and thus many an exciting race has been witnessed between muscle 
and steam. When excited during its gambols with its fellows, or by the emotions 
of rage or fear, the appearance of the prongbuck alters considerably. On such 
occasions, writes Mr. Caton, “ the hair of the white patch on the rump rises up, and 
assumes a more or less curved radial position from a central point on each side of 
the vertebrae. From these points the hairs radiate in every direction, only they are 
as nearly erect as their curved radial position will permit. It is impossible to give 
a just idea of this appearance by words.” 
The prongbuck is readily tamed when in captivity; and all who have eaten it bear 
testimony as to the excellence of its flesh. The brittle nature of the hairs renders 
the fur of but little value; and it does not appear that the skins are much used as 
leather. As might be inferred from the nature of its habit, the prongbuck is 
exclusively a grazing animal; and in captivity avoids browsing on leaves, except 
when no other food is available. 
There are two chief methods of hunting the prongbuck; one by 
stalking or “still-hunting,” and the other by coursing with grey¬ 
hounds. In the north-western portion of its habitat, the proper season for hunting 
embraces the months of September, October, and November; but in the south-west 
