A fascinating memoir of the year the author spent observing the pronghorn antelope in its Montana habitat manages to transcend the "naturalist" genre with elevated, poetic prose that introduces readers to this remarkable creature and its habitat. (Biology & Natural History) North America’s fastest mammal, the pronghorn can accelerate explosively from standing to a top speed of 60 miles per hour—but it can also cruise at 45 mph for many miles. What accounts for the speed of this extraordinary animal? And what is it like to be a field biologist dedicating 20 years to studying this species? Byers answers these questions. Foreword by Rick Bass ix Preface xv 1 Anatomy of a Speedster 1(18) 2 Spring and the Sounds of Snipe 19(24) 3 First Field Season 43(18) 4 The Adult Bullies 61(20) 5 Milk Politics 81(16) 6 Little Speedsters 97(10) 7 Columns of Dust 107(12) 8 Bachelor Workout 119(16) 9 The Turning Year 135(18) 10 Making Next Year's Fawns 153(24) 11 After the Equinox 177(14) 12 After the Solstice 191(14) 13 The Floor of the Sky 205(10) Notes 215(8) Acknowledgments 223(2) Index 225