12 ROE, MUSK AND SIKA. 



The musk stands about 20 inches at the shoulder. The hoof is 

 proportionately much smaller and more pointed than in other deer, 

 while the two hinder nails or dew claws are proportionately much larger. 

 The ears are large; the tail short. The characteristic for which this 

 little deer is chiefly known, is the occurrence in the male of a little bag 

 in the skin of the abdomen, which contains the substance known as 

 musk. For this the musk deer is unmercifully persecuted and hunted, 

 for the substance is extremely valuable. A single pod, is worth from 

 $10 to $20 to the hunter, who sells it. to the medicine shops, where 

 it is made up into perfume and realizes twice the money paid to the 

 hunter. 



Just exactly what function this gland performs in the economy 

 of the musk deer seems uncertain. There is little or no smell in the 

 secretion when fresh, so that it can hardly be for the purpose of attract- 

 ing the females. 



As a sport musk deer hunting is scarcely to be considered. So 

 persecuted is the little creature that it keeps to the densest cover, 

 from which it may only be driven with the greatest difficulty. It is 

 also becoming increasingly rare. The natives of this country hunt 

 the musk chiefly by driving, the same method being used as with 

 roedeer. When there is plenty of snow they also resort to tracking. 

 The Szechuan hunters use snares. A stout sapling is bent down over 

 a musk deer path, and a rope with a noose is attached to the tip. 

 [Ph ; e noose is then set in the path in such a way that the little creature 

 is almost sure to step into it. A trigger is loosed, the sapling flies 

 up, and the deer is jerked into the air, where it hangs till 

 the hunter comes and kills it. Often they hang thus for days before 

 merciful death frees them from their agonies. By far the greater 

 number of musk are taken this way. The method has the disadvan- 

 tage of killing off males and females indiscriminately, whereas your 

 true Shansi musk hunter would avoid shooting a doe. Some years 

 ago I reached a famous musk district in West Shansi, and found 

 the local hunters in a furious st^te of mind over the depredations of a 

 party of Szechuan hunters, who in a few weeks had secured some 

 seventy musk deer, mostly females, in their snares. Driven to ex- 

 asperation the Sbansi hunters had at last combined and sent the 

 Szechuanese about their business. 



The musk like the water-deer of the Yang-tze Valley can be knock - 

 ed over easily with bird shot. The white ivory tusks of a good buck 

 make the head a nice trophy. 



