In times past the pronghorn usually lived in the valley and prairie country. In the Southwest it roamed over much of both the Upper and Lower Sonoran Life Zones, wherever suitable grass and herbage could be found. On the prairies of the Midwest bands of pronghorns grazed in close proximity to herds of buffalo. During the middle of the last century it was the only animal whose numbers even approached those of the latter. More adaptable than the buffalo, it has retreated before the advance of civilization and taken up new ranges in rough and broken country which is unsuited to agriculture. As a rule this is much higher than its former range. Pronghorns are no longer found in the Lower Sonoran Life Zone, except as small bands that have been introduced from farther north. The greatest population now ranges in the upper portions of the Upper Sonoran and along the lower fringe of the Transition Life Zone. The animal has always been considered migratory to some extent because it moved from mesa summer ranges to the protection of warmer valleys during winter months. This habit is even more pronounced in later years at the higher levels it now inhabits. These slim, long-legged creatures are virtually helpless in deep snow and avoid it whenever possible. They have even been known to mingle with cattle and join with them at the feed racks during severe winters, an indication of the extreme need to which shy pronghorns are sometimes reduced. They are essentially grazing animals. In the past they ate prairie grasses during the summer; in winter these same grasses made excellent hay that lost little in nourishment from having dried on the roots. In addition, they ate low herbage and nibbled leaves, buds, and fruits from shrubs that grew along the watercourses. Their food today is much the same except that in the many areas where they receive competition from range cattle they undoubtedly resort to more browse than formerly. Natural enemies of the pronghorn are legion, their success indifferent. Every large carnivore will snap at the chance to take one, and even the golden eagle has been known to kill them. The most serious depredations are carried out on those young too small to follow the mother. However, these attacks are fraught with danger, for the females are very courageous in the defense of their young and at times several will join in routing an enemy. In addition to this protection accorded them by adult members of the band, the young have an almost perfect camouflage in their plain coats that blend so closely with the color of the grass in which they usually lie concealed. Because of their fleetness, few adults fall prey to predators. Many attempts have been made to clock the speed of the pronghorn in full flight but the estimates vary greatly. Although a fast horse can keep up with one on smooth, level ground, it is soon outdistanced on stony soil or in rough country. [Illustration: baby pronghorn]