MUSK 



5604 



MUSKETRY 



Musk (Mimulus moschatus). 

 Perennial herb of the natural order 

 Scrophulariaceae. A native of N. 

 America, its juicy underground 

 stems creep extensively in moist 

 soil. The above-ground branches 

 and the thin, opposite, oblong 

 leaves are densely coated with soft 

 clammy hairs which exhale the 

 musky odour to which the name 

 is due. The yellow tubular flowers 

 have five lobes, and the stigma has 

 two lobes, which are irritable and 

 close together on being touched. 

 Musk, which was introduced to 

 Britain in 1826, is a favourite pot 

 plant, easily raised from the 

 minute seeds, or by division of the 

 numerous underground stems. It 

 requires frequent, copious water- 

 ings. Harrison's musk is a larger, 

 cultivated form. See Mimulus. 



Musk. Dried secretion from 

 certain glands of the male musk 

 deer (Moschus moschiferus). Its 

 natural purpose appears to be for 

 the attraction of the female. It has 

 been long in request both as a 

 medicine and a perfume the 

 former as a stimulant affecting the 

 circulation, and as an antispas- 

 modic. Aa imported 'it forms soft, 

 greasy lumps of a red-brown tint, 

 giving out the strong, peculiar 

 odour always associated with the 

 name. It can be dissolved in ether. 

 Like civet, it forms the basis of 

 many choice perfumes ; and in its 

 natural condition is probably the 

 most enduring of all odours so 

 long as the substance remains, the 

 odour suffers no diminution. When 

 newly extracted from the deer, 

 however, it is more repulsive than 

 attractive. 



Musk Deer (Moschus moschi- 

 ferus). Small species of deer found 

 among the mountains of Central 

 Asia. Usually found in pairs, never 

 congregating in herds, it is about 

 20 his. high, has a greyish-brown 



Musk Deei. Young temale of the 

 Central Asian species o! deer 



W. S. Berridge. F.Z.S. 



pelf, and in certain anatomical 

 features approaches the antelope. 

 Neither the male nor the female has 

 antlers. The upper canine teeth of 

 the male are about 3 ins. long, and 

 project as conspicuous tusks. It is 

 much hunted for the valuable 

 musk, secreted by an abdominal 

 gland and used as an ingredient in 

 many costly perfumes. 



Muskegon. City of Michigan, 

 U.S.A., the co. seat of Muskegon 

 co. Situated along Muskegon Lake, 

 through which the Muskegon river 

 enters Lake Michigan, 39 m. N.W. 

 of Grand Rapids, it is served by 

 the Grand Trunk and other rlys., 

 and by steamers plying to Chicago 

 and other ports. Muskegon has a 

 good harbour, from which large 

 quantities of lumber, fruit, and 

 garden produce are exported. 

 Manufactures include pianos, fur- 

 niture, refrigerators, paper, and 

 knitted goods. Settled in 1834, 

 Muskegon was incorporated in 

 1861, and became a city in 1870. 

 Pop. 36,000. 



Musket. General term for any 

 form of smoothbore firearm used 

 by a foot soldier. Muskets may be 

 muzzleloaders or breechloaders, 

 fired by the percussion system or 

 by a flint, or by the application of 

 a match to powder in the pan, 

 hence the terms percussion musket, 

 flint musket, matchlock. The har- 

 quebus, snaphaunce, caliver, fusil, 

 and carbine were in all essentials 

 muskets As late as 1867 the 

 troops in India had seven different 

 kinds of smoothbore firearms, viz. 

 two muskets, four carbines, and a 

 fusil for Serjeants. The fusil used 

 the musket ammunition, but was 

 one pound lighter to carry. The 

 so-called carbines were of the same 

 calibre of the fusil and about the 

 same weight. The official manual 

 on shooting is still called Musketry 

 Regulations. See Brown Bess ; 

 Firearms ; Flintlock ; Fusil ; Guns ; 

 Matchlock; Rifle. 



Musketry. Art of shooting with 

 portable firearms in general, and 

 with the military rifle hi particular. 

 Accuracy of small-arm fire as a 

 factor of military importance has 

 been a gradual development of 

 organized warfare. It probably 

 attained its zenith in the South 

 African War, where accurate long 

 range rifle fire played such an im- 

 portant part that in many quarters 

 the view was held that infantry 

 would never again be able to ap- 

 proach closely to the opposing 

 forces. This led to every endeavour 

 being made to train British infan- 

 try to become expert shots at all 

 ranges as well as attaining a great 

 proficiency in rapidity of fire. As a 

 corollary, musketry was practically 

 taught for the prone position. 



The German army, on the other 

 hand, fostered rapidity of fire 

 rather than* accuracy for the gene- 

 ral body of the troops. This sys- 

 tem developed firing from the hip, 

 standing or kneeling positions, as of 

 at least equal value to the prone 

 position, the troops actually firing 

 whilst advancing. The Great War 

 showed that, despite the use of 

 firearms, the opposing infantry 

 were able to get into close touch. 



In learning musketry, it is first 

 essential that the recruit shall 

 obtain a good working knowledge 

 of his rifle, and to this end he is 

 trained in rapid firing with the aid 

 of dummy cartridges until he is 

 thoroughly 

 familiar with all 

 the necessary 

 movements. 

 The principles 



Musketry. Figure target used in 

 British army, with semi-circular 

 bull's-eye. Above, diagram illus- 

 trating principle of aiming, showing 

 blade of foresight centred in notch 

 of backsight, with bull's-eye resting 

 on tip of foresight 



of aiming are taught by adjust- 

 ing the rifle in a stand, when 

 the alinement of the sights is noted 

 and corrected by the instructor, the 

 correct sight being that the blade 

 of the foresight is vertical, cen- 

 trally disposed in the notch of the 

 backsight, its tip level with the 

 upper surface of the latter, and the 

 bull's-eye of the target apparently 

 resting on the tip of the foresight. 

 Actual firing practice begins with 

 grouping, in which the recruit has 

 to fire a number of shots at an 

 ordinary bull's-eye without being 

 told where he is hitting, but always 

 taking the same sight. This en- 

 ables the instructor to detect 

 faults, such as taking incorrect 

 sight, or pulling the trigger instead 

 of actuating it by merely squeezing 

 the butt with the rest of the hand. 

 When proficiency in this practice 

 has been attained, the location of 

 each shot is indicated, and the aim 

 has to be corrected for succeeding 

 shots to bring them to the desired 

 point. The usual practice is to pro- 

 ceed by easy stages up to a range of 

 1,000 yards, the targets used being 

 representations of a soldier's head 

 as it would be seen if he were in a 



