Fig. 391.—Prong-horned Antelope (Antelocarpa Americana).
Does a cow’s lower jaw move sidewise or back and forth? Do the ridges on the molars run sidewise or lengthwise? Is a cow’s horn hollow? Does it have a bony core? (Fig. [344].)
The permanent hollow horns of the cow and the solid deciduous horns of the deer are typical of the two kinds of horns possessed by ruminants. The prong-horned antelope (Fig. [391]) of the United States, however, is an intermediate form, as its horns are hollow, but are shed each year. The hollow horns are a modification of hair. Do solid or hollow horns branch? Which are possessed by both sexes? Which are pointed? Which are better suited for fighting? Why would the deer have less need to fight than the cattle? Deer are polygamous, and the males use their horns mostly for fighting one another. The sharp hoofs of deer are also dangerous weapons. The white-tail deer (probably the same species as the Virginian red deer) is the most widely distributed of the American deer. It keeps to the lowlands, while the black-tailed deer prefers a hilly country. The moose, like the deer, browses on twigs and leaves. The elk, like cattle, eats grass.
Fig. 392.—Rocky Mountain Sheep (Ovis montana). × ¹⁄₂₄.
The native sheep of America is the big horn, or Rocky Mountain sheep (Fig. [392]). The belief is false that they alight upon their horns when jumping down precipices. They post sentinels and are very wary. There is also a native goat, a white species, living high on the Rocky Mountains near the snow. They are rather stupid animals. The bison once roamed in herds of countless thousands, but, with the exception of a few protected in parks, it is now extinct. Its shaggy hide was useful to man in winter, so it has been well-nigh destroyed. For gain man is led to exterminate elephants, seals, rodents, armadillos, whales, birds, deer, mussels, lobsters, forests, etc.
Fig. 393.—Peccary (Dicotyles torquatus) of Texas and Mexico. × ¹⁄₁₂.
Our only native hog is the peccary, found in Texas (Fig. [393]). In contrast with the heavy domestic hog, it is slender and active. It is fearless, and its great tusks are dangerous weapons. The swine are the only ungulates that are not strictly vegetable feeders. The habit of fattening in summer was useful to wild hogs, since snow hid most of their food in winter. The habit has been preserved under domestication. Are the small toes of the hog useless? Are the “dew claws” of cattle useless? Will they probably become larger or smaller? Order?