424 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1892. 



these desolate rucky ice-bound fields, in which no animal, it would seem, could 

 exist, the hardy musk ox roams at will during the entire year. The ability to 

 stand the rigors of such a climate is a striking feature of its interesting life history. 



The musk ox is at present found only in the most northern parts of North America, 

 where it ranges in small bands on the barren grounds between the sixtieth parallel 

 and the shores of the Arctic Sea. Its southern range is gradually contracting, and 

 it is no longer met with west of the Mackenzie River. It is found through the 

 Parry Islands and Grinnell Land to North Greenland, reaching on the west coast as 

 far south as Mellvile Bay. It was met with by all the polar exploring expeditions, 

 including the l)e Long, Hall, and Greely parties. Lieut. R. E. Peary in his late 

 Greenland journey secured several specimens of various ages, and reports it com- 

 paratively abundant. The German polar expedition of 1869-70 found it at Sabine 

 Island on the east coast. In former times the musk ox roamed in other parts of the 

 world. Its fossil remains, or those of an allied species, have been found in northern 

 Siberia and the plains of Germany and France. It has also been found in the gravel 

 beds in several parts of England, as Bromley, Bath, and Freshtield, and also in the 

 brick earth of the Thames Valley at Crayford, Kent. 



In size the musk ox equals the smaller varieties of Scotch and Welsh cattle, but 

 in structure and habits it is more like the sheep ; and the combination of character- 

 istics is well expressed by its generic name, Ovibos. It is gregarious in habit, going 

 in herds of 20 or 30 head, and sometimes 90 or 100 have been observed. The bands 

 contain one or two full-grown bulls. Notwithstanding their short legs, they run 

 with considerable speed. When frightened, they gather together like a flock of 

 sheep, and follow a leader as sheep do an old ram. This habit makes the total 

 extermination of a herd an easy task, when it is the desire of its destroyers to 

 accomplish it. When thoroughly alarmed they easily ascend precipitous slopes, 

 their curved, sharp-edged hoofs greatly aiding them in gaining a foothold. 



The name of musk ox is given on account of the musky odor exhaled by the ani- 

 mal. The odor does not proceed from any special gland, as in the case of the musk 

 deer and other animals which secrete a musky odor. The cause of this peculiar odor 

 has not been satisfactorily explained. 



According to Sir John Richardson, " when the animal is fat its flesh is well tasted 

 and resembles that of caribou, but has a coarser grain." According to other author- 

 ities the flesh of the bulls is highly flavored, and both bulls and cows, when lean, 

 smell strongly of musk. This odor does not seem to be confined to either sex, or to 

 any particular season of the year. At times the flesh of some of the animals is said 

 to be tender and very well flavored. 



The carcass of a good-sized male will weigh 300 to 350 pounds. In summer they 

 accumulate considerable fat, and during winter use up this fatty tissue. The males 

 are considerably larger than the females. The cows calve about June 1, giving 

 birth to one young one. The animal is also known as musk buffalo and musk sheep, 

 both very expressive names. 



The animal has a very prominent tendency to a hump. The dorsal processes of 

 the vertebral column, as shown in the skeleton, indicate this. The dense, long, and 

 somewhat stiff bunch of hair over the shoulders plainly proves that the animal pos- 

 sesses a hump. All specimens which have been heretofore mounted do not show this 

 feature of the animal. The head is large and broad. The horns in the old males 

 are extremely broad at the base, meeting in the median line and covering the whole 

 top of the head. They are directed, at first, slightly outward, and then suddenly 

 downward by the side of the head, and then they turn upward with a graceful curve, 

 and forward, ending in the same plane as the eye. The horns at the base are rough, 

 but gradually grow smooth from the center to the tips, which are round, glossy, and 

 black. At the base they are a dull white. The horns of the females are much 

 smaller, and at their base the space between them is much broader in the middle of 

 the forehead. The ears are small and are concealed in the hair. The space between 

 the nostrils and the upper lip is covered with a short, close hair, as in goats and 



