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The voice of the Antelope is a querulous, grunting bleat, uttered by the mother when she is calling to the kid. At other times I have not heard it. But a sort of shrill whistle or snort is used as an alarm, and they have also a short bark of curiosity. The kid utters a little bleat or squeak, but the rest of the signalling is done by appeals to the eye and nose.

The eye of the Antelope is of marvellous beauty and magnitude, "larger than that of any other quadruped of its size" (Caton), and there is every evidence that it is as keen as it is beautiful. This is readily understood in relation to the fact that it is a creature of the open; its eyes are more often serviceable to it than its ears, or even its nose, and the majority of its signals, unlike those of woodland animals, are dependent upon vision for their success.

foot; the fewer the toes the greater the speed. The Deer, still living in swamps, could not afford to dispense entirely with the useful little hind or mud-hoofs. There they are still, for bog use, though much modified from the original equal

An Antelope pose.

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toed type, more nearly shown in the Pig. But the Antelope living in the hard, dry uplands had no use for bog-trotters, and exchanged them for a higher rate of speed, so that it now has only two toes on each foot.

The Horse family went yet further. They shunned the very neighborhood of swamps; all their life was spent on the firm, dry level country; speed and sound feet were their holds on existence, and these they maintained at their greatest pitch by adopting a foot with a single hoof-clad toe.

Coronado and his contemporaries discovered the Antelope, but they were too busy adding to the spiritual Kingdom of their Masters, in consideration of the material plunder thereof, to give a second thought to this wonderful wild thing. It remained for the immortal Lewis and Clarke, 250 years later, to tell the world about the Pronghorn of the Plains.

They comment with wonder on its great strength and its great weakness-that is, its speed and its curiosity, that has so often rendered its speed of no avail. By common consent the Antelope is given first place for swiftness among the four-foots of America.

"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." (Aud. & Bach. "Quads. of N. A.," vol. II, p. 198.)

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Mr. W. T. Hornaday says: "In running it has three very distinct gaits. When fleeing from danger it carries its head low like a running sheep, and gallops by long leaps; when showing off it holds its head as high as possible and trots. . . . Occasionally it gallops with high head by stiff-legged leaps like the Mule Deer." ("Amer. Nat. Hist.," 1904, p. 117.)

Why does the Antelope occasionally make these high, and but slightly progressive bounds? Undoubtedly for the same reason as the Jack Rabbit makes a "spy hop." They are to give it a momentary high outlook whence it can scan the surroundings and take in the situation.

I have gathered many observations to get an idea of the actual speed of certain quadrupeds and have arrived at a scale, which, however, I submit with much hesitation. Of course we have no actual gauge on the speed of the wild species; it must be arrived at by various devices and comparisons, eliminating all guesses. The estimates of hunters, etc., are always too high; besides it is a misleading fact that of two animals going at the same rate, the smaller always appears to be going faster.

I think it is safe to say that the Horse, the ancient standard of speed, still holds his own. There seems no good reason for supposing that any creature on legs, two, three, or four, ever went for any distance so fast as a blooded race-horse; and Caiman's mile in 1 minute 38 seconds, cited by Arbitrator in The London Field for December 31, 1904, is probably the fastest pace reliably recorded

On the uplands of Mexico. in 1892 and 1893, I several times saw my hunting comrade, William Allen, ride on his favorite "Spider" right into a bunch of Antelope going their best and with everything in their favor. Spider was locally known as a racer, although only a quarterblood.

On the Little Missouri I saw some first-class greyhounds overtake a Mule Deer on the level, but fail utterly when it came to a buck Antelope. These same Dogs could catch a Coyote in a very short race. I have computed the speed of many other animals by counting their bounds to the minute and then afterward measuring their bounds in the snow, and I have made a number of comparative observations from railway trains and motor cars going at a known speed; and above all, I have always kept in mind the fact, when on record, that such can catch so-and-so in a fair race. mineralogists make a scale of hardness, on units, each of which can scratch the one below it, and be scratched by the one above. I have acted on this plan in making my scale of swiftness, only for "scratch" I read "catch."

The

Capt. R. B. Marcy says: "We have had several good opportunities since we have been upon the plains of witnessing the relative speed of the different animals found

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that is representative has been chosen, rather than the phenomenal, or the record of each species.

Thus the best Horse record for a mile is at the rate of over thirty-six miles an hour. I prefer, however, to set the Horse at thirtyfour miles an hour, as many Horses attain this rate.

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Racehorse..

Prong-horned Ante

lope.....

Best speed for a mile

is at the rate of

34 miles per hour.

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here, and our observations have confirmed the animal's best rate for a mile. A rate the opinion I have before advanced. For example, the Greyhounds have, upon several diffe ent occasions, run down and captured the Deer and the Prairie-rabbits, which are also considered very fleet; but although they have had very many races with the Antelope under favorable circumstances, yet they have never, in one instance, been able to overtake them; on the contrary, the longer the chase continued, the greater has been the distance between them. Cervus Virginianus (our Red-deer) has generally been considered the fleetest animal upon the continent after the Horse, but the Antilocapra Americana, or Prong-horned Antelope of the plains, is very much swifter." ("Exp. Red River," 1854, p. 62.)

The

Greyhounds have doubtless caught many Antelopes in open chase, but I never yet heard of one Greyhound catching a full-grown, unwounded buck Antelope by fair running.

2 in

Front

14 m

hind

19in 2/2

Tracks of large Antelope.

I have often heard railroaders tell of races between trains and Antelope. When running at the ordinary rate of twenty-five to thirty miles an hour, the engine could not pass these fleet coursers, but when the engineers turned on all speed so as to run at a thirty-five-mile rate, the train forged ahead, and in a mile or so the Antelope turned aside and gave it up, disgusted to find that at last there was something on the plains that could outrun them.

In general I have found that the wild animals are less swift than is commonly supposed; their strong point is the quickness with which they can get up full speed. Their "muzzle" velocity is indeed a matter of life and death, for most predaceous creatures, especially the Cats, give up the chase at once if they fail on the first dash. Furthermore, I have been continually impressed by the smallness of difference in speed. The few seconds that one animal saves in making its mile is evidently of vital importance. The scale I have attempted, is founded on

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Greyhound

Texan Jack Rabbit.28

Common Fox.....26

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In this connection it is interesting to note that the best speed of a man for 100 yards is 9 seconds; this is at the rate of 21 miles an hour. A man's best speed for a mile is 4 minutes 12 seconds, or at the rate of 14 miles an hour. An ordinary runner makes a mile in five minutes, i. e., at the rate of 12 miles an hour, so that what actually counts in the race is, as usual, the trifle more speed that each animal can command.

All travellers and hunters agree that the Antelope can cover an astounding distance in a single leap, but none of them tell us what they mean by "astounding"; whether fifteen feet or fifty, remains to be ascertained. Judge Caton, however, points out that their leaping power is almost confined to the horizontal. They are so essentially creatures of the open plains and so unaccustomed to high jumping that a four-foot fence was enough to confine them.

This animal is credited with uncontrollable curiosity. In the old days of Lewis and Clarke the recognized method of tolling Antelope within shot was to wave a handkerchief on a stick in their plain view, the gunner himself remaining concealed, and usually, after much doubt and many circlings, the herd ventured within range. At one time, we are told by travellers, any unusual object was enough to attract the Antelope.

But they learned wisdom in later years.

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On the Plains of New Mexico I never could toll Antelope, nor did I hear of anyone succeeding in that country. In fact, the local hunters maintained that it was "played out"-the Antelope were too wary now to be taken in.

My own experience with Antelope was chiefly on the Plains of the Canadian River and in western Wyoming, and I was there much struck by the smallness of the home locality that seemed to satisfy each band.

A level stretch of open prairie two miles across was ample range for a herd of twenty the whole season. If there was water on it they seemed satisfied to stay indefinitely.

Dr. Edward L. Munson, U. S. A., says: "For some weeks a band of several hundred were in a large pasture four miles square, several miles from Havre." (Forest & Stream, January, 1897.)

Mr. W. N. Byers, of Denver, Col., tells me that for several years in Middle Park he used to see one particular large buck Antelope near the road within a mile of the same place. He supposed it was there on account of a salt lick near.

Dr. Canfield (of California) says: "Any particular band of Antelope does not leave the locality where they grow up, and never range more than a few miles in different directions." (Caton, "Ant. Deer Am.," p. 43.)

The same Antelope with discs half spread.

It is a common remark that when hunted the Antelope runs in a circle. A little reflection will show that this is true of all animals, and that this circle is always around the region that the creature knows, namely, its own home locality.

During the summer the bands are scattered, but the individual range is even smaller. I have seen an old Antelope that made her summer home on the flat top of a butte that was less than 200 acres in extent. The males seem to be less local at this time than the females, and commonly wander in twos.

But all this permanent residence of one spot seems to have been in regions where the winter was mild and the snow light. In the northern part of the range a different habit prevailed. At the first heavy snow the Antelope of the Upper Jackson's Hole moved 150 miles southward to the Red Desert. Those on the prairies of the Saskatchewan moved into the coulées and brakes 100 miles southward and westward. Those of the Plains went toward the foot-hills, and those on the open country about the Black Hills flocked thither from all points of the compass.

Prof. Edward Carter tells me that they used to winter in vast numbers about Colorado Springs, and were common in the surrounding country all the rest of the year.

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