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MUSK-OX. 



Oribos itioschatus. 

 French : Bceuf musque. German : Bisamstier. 



The Musk-Ox approaches so closely to the Sheep in 

 its habits, that, until a specimen has been dissected, it 

 is impossible to rightly determine its place in a work of 

 Natural History. It may probably be found to be a 

 large northern woolly variety of Sheep, of the original 

 brown colour, such as is seen in the Shetland and Ice- 

 land Sheep. The texture of the wool of all these also 

 resemble one another in the intermixture of long hairs 

 in the wool. The so-called Musk-Ox inhabits the 

 extreme northern portion of North-East Greenland, and 

 the Dominion of Canada, including Chesterfield Inlet 

 and Melville Island. It is not very abundant, yet is 

 only surpassed in numbers in these regions by the Hare, 

 and Lemming, and perhaps the Arctic Fox. 



This animal is from 3 to 4 feet high. The general 

 colour is dark brown. The body is covered with long, 

 thick, brown wool, with extremely long dark brown hair 

 on the flank, head and tail, these hairs reaching almost 

 to its feet. The feet are generally white. The Musk- 

 Ox has probably the thickest, densest covering of any 

 living animal, being almost impenetrable to the cold. 

 The skin is thick. The horns are rather short, curved, 

 and very thick at the base. There is often a beautiful 

 hump of fur on the shoulders, about 4 inches long. 

 The flesh is highly prized by the northern explorers, 



