Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1892-09-23
THE AMERICAN ANTELOPE.
FLEET-FOoTED GAME NOW AL
MOST EXTINCT.
Their Markings-The Family to
Which They Belong-Huntfngt the
Antelope-Long-Ra Range Shooting.

Their Markings-The Family to
Which They Belong-Hunting the
Range Shooting.
TT is popularity Of antelopes, es-
peclally as shown In their head
quarters of South Africa, that they
& stand out conspicuously as connect
ing links. They grade off almost indis-
tinguishably into sheep, goats, deer and
even the OK. Often in the hornless
tinction. The horns, which are always
present in the male and usually in the
females, are round, without sharp edges,
and though compressed are usually an
nulated, while those of the goat and
sheep have abrupt edges and are usually
grooved longitudinally. Those of all
the bovines come out sideways and are
cylindric and smooth. Deer's horns are
all rough, much branched, solid and
deciduous. Antelopes are like the sheep
in the general presence of the gland be-
tween the hoofs and under the eye, and
they are like the goats in the presence of
horns in both sexes, which have no
tendency to recurve forward. They
share with the deer the tear pit and
many other peculiarities of form and
anatomy, while some are like the OK in
bulk and body. Our pronghorn,. how
ever, differs much from the Old World
genera. With it the tear duct is absent,
as in the goat; the horns are branched,
as in the deer, and the accessory hoofs
are wanting as in no other ruminant ex-
cept the giraffe. 1t lacks, also, certain
groin glands found in the African kind,
and the British Encyclopedia states that
it drops the sheaths of its horus annually.
I have been unable to find any American
record of this fact. If the statemen. be
true, it forms, in this respect, a con-
Meeting link between the hollow horned
and solid-horned ruminants not found
elsewhere.
The horns of our prongbuck arc apt to
vary much with age, the protuberance in
front being often wanting in the young,
which would argue to some extent the
annual shedding of the sheath. The
eyes are bright and prominent, enabling
it we'll to see its pursuers during flight
aud to keep good lookout before. In
the adult, it makes no attempt at con-
cealment and from its enemy it expects
nothing but knowledge of his ap-
proach. The color of the pronghorn is
generally tawny brown, shading off be-
low and backward into light fawn color.
Beneath it is white. While this would
argue certain amount of or-protec-
ton when lying down, the two trans
verse white bars across the breast, and
the conspicuous white disk around the
tail argue that on approach OF flight no
attempt at concealment is intended.
The rear mark is claimed by Mr. Wallace,
the great English naturalist, as an exam
pie of guiding mark specialized for the
purpose of enabling the young and weak
to follow better in flight, but he leaves
the purpose of the breast bars unex-
planned. In keeping with the theory,
they may better enable the flock to reas.
semble, or the young to run to the
mother as she returns to its hiding place,
for, like other ruminants, she often hides
her young while she feeds. To natur-
alist the marks would at once imply that
the animal was night feeder, or at least
crepuscular-a fact borne out by actual
knowledge. She kids are never spotted
not even at any stage before birth-a
fact limiting no close relationship to the
deer. The hair, resembling coarse rotted
manila strands, is hollow like feathers,
and crushes into fragments readily be-
tween the fingers. They stand out on
end like bristles in brush, varying in
length from one inch on the sides to four
to SIX inches on the neck, where they
form a sort Of maue, erected during
anger or excitement.
The antelope is about exterminated
from the plains east of the Rocky Mount
aims now, where it recently ranged from
Central America to about latitude 6fty-
three de 5rees north. 1t migrates slightly
north and south with the seasons. 1t
was no uncommon thing as late as 80 to
'S3 to see small herds fleeing from the
trains as they crossed the plains, and
very fair long-range hunting could be
had then. But now one must go higher
up into the less frequentcd mountain
parks, and even there they are getting
scarce. From October to December is
the season, with perhaps November as
the favorite OF course one takes a
wagon or packs, but fair saddle horses
are necessity, for the gamo is often
found in rather inaccessible places. The
cool nights will require all needful COM
forts for camping. While sneaking
stalk is the usual method of hunting,
antelope have been killed on the plains
by direct chase and a pistol shot, as
Washington Irving killed his buffalo,
but an unusual horse, of course, is re-
auired for this. For the distance of
three or four miles, perhaps, no feeter
animal runs than our pronghorn, but if
pushed to its utmost within this limit it
soon shows signs of tagging. Coursing
it down on the plains with greyhounds
was once favorite form of capture. The
best means of approach (uecessary in any
form of hunting iD is by concealment in
draws or behind ridges.
A good fieldglass is great help. By
noting at long range the direction they
are feeding, they may be intercepted as
they pass if the ground be favorable,
but their senses are all so acute that
every precaution must be taken. The
sound of horses hoofs mile or more
away will often alarm them. In peeping
over an eminence always remove the hat
and If possible intrust this delicate mis-
sion to the fairhalred man of the party