33° Mammals of Eastern Asia 
There are several races distributed through the quite exten- 
sive range. The typical form (which Flerov subdivides into 
several) is found in Mongolia, Siberia, and Sakhalin, extend- 
ing in a narrow belt behind the Gulf of Chihli, south through 
Jehol into Hopei and Shansi. In Siberia this race is shown by 
Flerov to extend almost to the Arctic Ocean, though it is missing 
from regions north and east of the Sea of Okhotsk. A second 
race, M. m. si f anus, extends from western Hupeh through 
Szechwan into upper Burma and Assam. Either the same or a 
slightly differing form, M. m. chrysogaster, occurs in Nepal. 
A local form, M . m. parvipes, with unusually small feet, is na- 
tive to Korea. 
The color generally is dark brown, often mottled or spotted 
with grayish or brownish. Though it rather resembles the 
Chinese River Deer, the Musk Deer may be distinguished in 
the field by the dark color on its feet and the more slender form 
of its tusks. The Northern Musk Deer, moschiferus, is dark 
chocolate-brown, with or without indistinct spots ; the Southern 
Musk Deer, sifanus, is more nearly buffy brown and somewhat 
smaller; the small- footed Korea Musk Deer is dark-colored like 
the Northern, with a white streak running from the ear to the 
white throat and back to the shoulder. The Northern race stands 
about 20 inches high at the shoulder. 
Like many other northern mammals, the winter and summer 
pelages of Northern Musk Deer are likely to be well differen- 
tiated. The animals are solitary, preferring rocky hills well 
covered with dense forest. The food in the north consists of 
tender shoots, mosses, scrub oak, and young grass. 
The musk pouch or pod which develops in three-year-old 
males, provides the reason for the continued intense persecution 
of the Deer and for their approach to extinction in parts of 
their range. The musk is used in making perfumes. In China, 
in 1925, the value of pods running from % to 2 ounces in weight 
of musk varied from 10 to 20 dollars Mexican (Sowerby). 
