82 THIBETIAN MUSK. 



we are told that more than three hundred thousand of 

 them have, in former times, been employed in carrying 

 the riches of the mines of Potosi. The weight they usu- 

 ally carry is from a hundred to a hundred and fifty 

 pounds each. In a wild state they are so active and 

 fearless, that they ascend the steep and nearly perpen- 

 dicular faces of rocks, along which no man would dare 

 to follow them. When irritated or offended, they have 

 a singular mode of spitting at the object of their anger ; 

 and it has been said, though apparently without any 

 foundation, that this saliva is so corrosive, that it will 

 produce blisters upon the skin. The flesh of these ani- 

 mals is considered to be as good as our best mutton. 



In height they measure about four feet and a half, at 

 the shoulder. The back is without any hunch, but there 

 is a protuberance on the breast. The head is small, the 

 eyes are black, and the neck is very long and slender. 

 The colour of the hair varies : in some individuals it is 

 white, and in others brownish, grey, or spotted. 



33. MUSK TRIBE. 



Like the camels, these animals are destitute of horns. 

 In disposition they are gentle, and at the same time fearful 

 and timid. Two or three of the species are scarcely 

 larger in size than a rabbit. They are found only in the 

 warmer parts of Asia. 



Thibetian Musk. Possessing nearly all the agility of 

 the antelope, the Musks inhabit only the most mountain- 

 ous and rocky parts of the interior of India, China, and 

 Thibet ; grazing in flocks in the narrow valleys, and 

 upon the stunted vegetation of the most elevated regions. 

 They are so timid, that they seldom approach the abodes 

 of mankind ; and are not to be tamed, even when caught 



