366 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



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ox, however, does not seem to rely greatly on keenness of sight, 

 far less on acuteness of hearing, for the ears are of small dimen- 

 sions, and are completely covered by the heavy growth of fur 

 about them. The organs of scent are evidently more highly de- 

 veloped, and they exact of the hunter his greatest cunning. Vasey 



says the hoof-prints resemble those of 

 the barren-ground caribou so closely 

 as to easily deceive the unaccustomed 

 eye, and concludes a short description 

 of the under parts of the foot with 

 the illustration here reproduced. The 

 external hoof is rounded, the internal 

 pointed. 



Much diversity of opinion exists as 

 to the size and weight of the animal, 

 and it is evident some statements have 

 been made from very limited observa- 

 tion. Richardson compares the size of 

 the musk ox to that of a Shetland pony, while others assert the 

 dimensions to be quite equal to those of the bison; and whereas 

 the weight has been given as from three to four hundred pounds 

 in the one case, other records claim twice 

 and even three times these figures as the 

 weight of an adult specimen. The addi- 

 tion of from three to six inches of fur on 

 the back, with hair flowing from the flanks 

 to the length of from eighteen to twenty- 

 four inches, gives an appearance vastly 

 different from that of the bison, and the 

 disproportionate shortness of the legs also 



tends to mislead ; but, notwithstanding this, the measurements of 

 the skin show the animal to be almost as large as the bison or 

 buffalo, hence the latter approximation of weight is more 

 correct. 



In connection with the color of the hair, it should be observed 

 that, while the summer pelage is usually brownish and corre- 

 sponds with the descriptions generally given, in winter the ani- 

 mal's covering is a rich black on the head and shoulders, flanks 

 and tail, the color shading beautifully into the milky-white disk 

 on the back, known as the "saddle," while the face and the legs 

 are prettily relieved with the whitish color. 



The musk ox is gregarious, and although all early statements 

 agree in estimating the herds as composed of from twenty to fifty 

 individuals, later information greatly increases these figures, and 

 frequent mention is made of herds numbering from two hundred 

 to five hundred. 



