588 



THE CLOVEN-HOOFED ANIMALS. 



they are found usually singly, but sometimes in 

 couples. Kinloch compares the habits of the Musk 

 Deer to those of the Hare, as it prepares itself 

 "forms" like those of the latter animal and lies in 

 them during the day. When grazing it selects 

 slopes, where grassy pastures alternate with patches 

 of low underbrush. It enters the open, uncovered 

 pastures only at dusk or in the early morning hours. 

 Its movements are quick and sure. It runs with the 

 speed of an Antelope, jumps with the precision of 

 a Bouquetin, and climbs with the boldness of a 

 Chamois. Over the soft surface of snow-fields, in 

 which a Dog sinks and a Man can hardly move, 

 Musk Deer proceed quite comfortably, barely leav- 

 ing a trace. When pursued, they jump just like the 

 Chamois from a considerable height, without sus- 

 taining any injury, or they run along precipices 

 which barely afford a possibility of gaining a foot- 

 hold. In case of necessity they do not hesitate to 

 swim across broad rivers. 



Their perceptive senses are excellent, but their 

 mental capacity is slight. The Musk Deer is shy, 

 but neither sagacious nor prudent. When an acci- 

 dent befalls it, it is frequently at a complete loss 

 how to act, and runs about as if it were deprived of 

 its senses. A newly captured individual behaves in 

 the same manner. 



Reproduction, Pur- The female gives birth to one or 

 suit and Value of two brightly mottled voung ones, 



the Musk Deer. anc j g uar ds them faithfully till the 

 next pairing season, at which time she casts them 

 off. At the end of the third year the young have 

 completed their growth. 



The pursuit of this important and profitable creat- 

 ure is very difficult, at least in Siberia. Its shyness 

 seldom allows a hunter to approach within shoot- 

 ing distance. The course usually pursued is to lay 

 snares on its way. The plans of the trapper for the 

 capture of the Deer are often nullified by the Glut- 

 ton, the Siberian Weasel and the Ravens. The furred 

 beasts of prey follow the trail of the animal and eat 

 the captives out of the snares. The Golden Vulture 

 and the Eagle also prey on the young Musk Deer, 

 the Panther and Cheetah on the old ones. English 

 sportsmen kill the Deer in the Himalayas with a 

 rifle, and either stalk it alone or have it driven out 

 by beaters. 



The venison is much esteemed by Europeans in 

 India; the musk pouch is worth from S2.50 to £7.50. 

 The greater part of the musk is shipped to England 

 from China; but it is seldom unadulterated, for that 

 crafty, long-cued nation has been zealously studying 

 the art of adulteration of the precious substance for 

 ages. Old travelers relate queer things concerning 

 the strength of the odor of musk. Tavernier and 

 Chardin say that hunters are obliged to stop their 

 noses and mouths before cutting off the pouch, for 

 incautious inhalation of the odor causes fatal hem- 

 orrhages. Chardin affirmed that he had never been 

 able to nearly approach dealers in musk, and had to 

 make his purchases from them through the interven- 

 tion of commercial friends. According to his asser- 

 tion the odor is unbearable and really dangerous 

 1(> Kuropeans who are not used to it. 



We still lack detailed accounts of the life of this 

 animal in confinement. In the year 1772 a Musk 

 Deer reached Paris, after a journey of three years, 

 and it lived there for three more years. It died 

 from the effects of a ball of hair, which had formed 

 in its stomach from the hair the animal had licked 

 off itself, and had become attached to the wall of the 



stomach in such a manner as to prevent the passage 

 of food from that organ to the smaller intestines. It 

 had always been well previous to the accident caus- 

 ing its death, and this fact led French naturalists to 

 believe that this important animal might be intro- 

 duced into high European mountains. 



£be Cbcvrotains. 



SEVENTH FAMILY: Tragulid^e. 



The last family of the Ruminants comprises the 

 Chevrotains or Pigmy Musks (Tragididce), and forms 

 the connecting link between the Ruminants and the 

 Swine. The animals classified under this title in- 

 habit western Africa and south Asia and are exceed- 

 ingly pretty creatures. If one imagines a roe-like, 

 dainty little animal, with a rather stout body, a 

 slender, well-shaped head, beautiful, lustrous eyes, 

 and legs which are scarcely thicker than a lead 

 pencil, with extremely neat hoofs, a small, trim, stub 

 tail and a soft, close fur of attractive hue, he will 

 have a correct idea of a Chevrotain. 

 Appearance and The Kanchil or Pigmy Musk (Tra- 

 Habitat of the gulics kanchil or Tragulus pygmcBus) 

 Kanchil. j s about eighteen inches in length, 

 less than two inches of which are included in the 

 tail; the height at the withers is eight inches, the 

 croup being nearly an inch higher. The hair is of 

 rather fine texture, and of reddish fallow hue on the 

 head, lighter on the sides, and nearly black on the 

 top. The upper surface of the body is reddish yel- 

 low-brown, strongly mingled with black along the 

 back, lighter on the flanks, spotted with white on the 

 upper part of the neck, and the under surface is white. 

 The older males have strongly curved canine teeth, 

 which protrude rather more than an inch beyond the 

 gums. The small, fine hoofs are of a light brown 

 horn color. Young animals do not differ from the 

 old ones in these particulars. 



Java, Singapore and the Malayan peninsula are the 

 chief regions constituting the home of this lovely 

 little creature; in Sumatra, Borneo, Ceylon, as well as 

 in India, from its southern extremity to the Hima- 

 layas, up to an altitude of eighteen hundred feet, it is 

 represented by allied species. In Java it inhabits 

 the mountains more than it does the plains, existing 

 along the lower edges of the primeval forests cover- 

 ing all mountain ranges, selecting for its retreat the 

 brushwood forming the forest boundaries; from its 

 domicile it can easily reach the grassy slopes below 

 in a few minutes. One never encounters it in herds, 

 for it usually lives singly, or, at the most, in pairs dur- 

 ing the mating season. During the day it lies hid- 

 den, resting and ruminating, in the thickest part of 

 the bushes; at dusk it sallies forth to graze upon 

 various leaves, herbage and berries. Water is indis- 

 pensable to it. 



Physical and Men- All movements of the little animal 

 tal Endowments are extremely light and graceful, 

 of the Kanchil. anc ] lively withal. In proportion to 

 its size it is capable of executing long leaps, and it 

 skillfully surmounts all obstacles in its way. But its 

 delicate limbs are not gifted with great endurance, 

 and it would soon fall into the hands of its enemies 

 if it did not possess a means of defense in the exe- 

 cution of a peculiar trick. Generally it endeavors to 

 escape pursuit by hiding in a bush; but as soon as it 

 sees that it can no longer do so, it calmly lies down 

 and feigns death, as the Opossum does under similar 



