384 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1957 



to grow they broaden at the base and bend down and forward in a 

 graceful curve, the ivorylike tips pointing upward. 



DEFENSE AGAINST WOLVES AND MAN 



Except for man, and occasionally a bear, the wolf is the only real 

 threat to the musk ox. The herding instinct, however, is a great 

 protection to the musk ox, and even the wolf is not often successful 

 in its attack on a group. Several wolves in a pack may at times best 

 a single animal that wanders from the gang. An attack on a herd is 

 a different matter, for the musk ox has a method of defense that defies 

 its enemy. At the least suspicion of approaching danger the bulls 

 surround the calves and cows, and, with heads out and lowered, face 

 the wolves in regular battle array. The cows later may join the battle 

 front, and what a front it is! Each head has a heavy bony shield 

 flanked by two sharp horns that with a single upward thrust might 

 disembowel an unwary wolf and leave it prostrate. No wise wolf 

 would approach such a fortress. 



Thus, the musk ox is well adapted to fight its natural enemies of the 

 Barren Grounds. From outside, however, came white men, entirely 

 foreign to the musk ox and its country. Armed with rifles, they had 

 no need to fear that threatening battle formation of horns and shields, 

 for they could kill from a safe distance. Herds of musk oxen were 

 slaughtered without mercy. Now that the species is almost gone, 

 laws and regulations have been passed and reservations set aside for 

 its protection. We hope that it is not too late. 



Although robust and clumsy in appearance, the musk ox is not 

 slow on foot, and it can run swiftly. It is able to run up steep hills 

 with surprising ease and speed, and could well escape many of the 

 attacks of man if it chose to run away rather than to stand its ground. 

 Eskimos have long hunted musk oxen for food and clothing, but until 

 the use of the rifle against musk oxen, the killing among the herds 

 had never endangered the existence of the species. 



FIRST CAPTIVE MUSK OXEN 



The meat of the musk ox is nourishing and tastes like tough beef, 

 but some white men who have eaten it say that it has a peculiar musky 

 taste that they do not relish. The pelt of the musk ox is of very little 

 value to white man, because it is too coarse in hide and hair for 

 him to wear. Eskimos find it valuable for clothing because of its 

 great warmth. 



In all the recent attempts to domesticate the musk ox no reference is 

 made to studies on the subject by others ; no apparent effort is made 

 to profit by the experience of others in attempting to raise the musk ox, 

 no balance is taken of all known factors, bad as well as good, in meas- 



