The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1892-09-28
THE AMERICAN ANTELOPE.
FLBET-FOoTED GAME NOW AL
MOST EXTINCT.

Antelope-Long-Ra 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 aud
even the OK. Often in the hornless
females dissection is necessary for dis
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 aud are usually
grooved longitudinally. Those of all
the bovines come out sideways and are
cylindric and smooth. Deers horns are
all rough, much branched, solid and
deciduous. Antolopes 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 horns annually.
have been unable to find any American
record of this fact. If the statement be
true, it forms, in this respect, con-
Meeting link between the hollow-h 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 fight
and to keep a 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 color protec-
tion when lying down, the two trans
verse white bars across the breast, and
the conspicuous white disk around the
tail argue that on approach or flight no
attempt at concealment is intended.
The rear mark is claimed by Mr.. Wallace,
the great English naturalist, as an exam
pie of a 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 rumiuants, she often hides
her young while she feeds. To a natur-
alist the marks would at once imply that
the animal was a night feeder, or at least
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 a brush, varying in
ength from one inch on the sides to four
10 SIX inches on the neck, where they
iorm sort of maue, erected during |
Inger or excitement.
The antelope is about exterminated
rom the plains east of the Rocky Mount |
inns now, where it recently ranged from |
Central America to about latitude fifty
hree egrees north. 1t migrates slightly |
forth and south with the seasons. It |
vas no uncommon thing as late as 80 to
80 to see small herds fleeing from the
rains as they crossed the plains, and |
'ery fair long-ronge hunting could be
lad then. But now one must 20 higher
Up into the less frequentcd mountain |
,arks, and even there they are getting
carce. From October to December is
he season, with perhaps November as
he favorite. OF course one takes
wagon or packs, but fair saddle horses
re Il necessity, for the game is often
ound in rather inaccessible places. The
DOL nights will require all needful COM
orts for camping. While sneaking
talk is the usual method of hunting,
ntelope have been killed on the plains
y direct chase and u pistol shot, as
Washington Irving killed his buffalo,
ut an unusual horse, OF course, is re-
uired for this. For the distance of
hree or four miles, perhaps, no ileeter
nimal runs than our pronghorn, but if
ushed to its utmost within this limit it
oon shows signs OF tagging. Coursing
down on the plains with greyhounds
'as once iavorite form of capture. The
est means Of approach (necessary in any
orm of hunting ip is by concealment in
raws or behind ridges.
A good tieldglass is great help. By
oting at long range the direction they
re feeding, they may be intercepted as
hey pass if the ground be favorable,
ut their senses are all so acute that
very precaution must be taken. The
1und of horses hoofs mile or more
way will often alarm them. In peeping
yer an eminence always remove the hat
nd If possible intrust this delicate mis-
on to the fairhaIred man Of the party.
y no means pass TO the windard of
lem. Frequently long detouls will
ave to be made afoot or on all fours
'en, so it is well to have a boy bring
, the horses at signal. The old
ethod OF decoying this fsame within