MUSK-OX 353 
Head of Greenland Musk-Ox. 
The MUSK-OX (Ovibos moschatus). 
In spite of its name, this Arctic ruminant has no near affinity with 
the members of the ox tribe, the cheek-teeth being more like those of 
the sheep and goats, the muzzle, except for a small strip between the 
nostrils, hairy, and the tail reduced to a mere stump concealed among 
the long hair of the hind-quarters. On the other hand, the resemblance 
to the sheep is by no means close, the horns, which in old males nearly 
meet in the middle line of the forehead, being of a totally different form 
and structure, and the skull likewise very distinct. Probably the genus 
is more or less nearly related to the serow and the takin. In the 
males the horns are much flattened and expanded at the bases, after which 
they are bent suddenly down behind the eyes, to curve upwards again at 
the tips. In the females they are much smaller, less expanded, and 
not approximated at their bases. In both sexes their texture is coarse 
and fibrous, and the colour yellow. The long coat of dark brown 
hair depending from the back and sides like a mantle affords an 
adequate protection against the rigors of an Arctic winter; and the 
broad spreading hoofs, with hair on their under surface, give a firm 
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