MUSKETOON MUSSCHENBROEK. 



117 



species is the Guinea musk (M. pygmeeus),vfh\ch, 

 notwithstanding its name, is more common in India 

 and the Oriental Islands, than in Guinea. This 

 graceful and diminutive creature is only about nine 

 inches in length, with slender limbs, and smooth 

 shining hair. The Malays capture them in great 

 numbers, and carry them about in cages for sale. 

 The American musk (M. Americanus) is only the 

 young, or the female of one of the species of South 

 American deer; and the M. delicatulus of Shaw is 

 the fawn of the American stag. 



MUSKETOON ; a short thick musket, whose bore 

 is the thirty-eighth part of its length : it carries five 

 ounces of iron, or seven and a half of lead, with an 

 equal quantity of powder. 



MUSK OX (ovibos moschatus). This animal, which 

 Mr Blainville has considered as intermediate between 

 the sheep and ox, inhabits the barren country in 

 America, to the northward of 60 of latitude. This 

 district is mostly rocky, and destitute of wood, except 

 on the banks of the larger streams. Their food is 

 similar to that of the moose grass at one season, and 

 lichens at another. When they are fat, their flesh is 

 well tasted; that of the bulls, mid even of the cows, 

 when lean, smells strongly of musk. Notwithstand- 

 ing the shortness of their legs, they run fast, and can 

 climb hills and rocks with great ease. They assemble 

 in herds of from twenty to thirty. The female brings 

 forth one calf in May or June. Doctor Richardson 

 states, if the hunters keep themselves concealed when 

 they fire upon one of the herds, the poor animals 

 mistake the noise for thunder, and form themselves 

 into a group, crowding closer and closer as their com- 

 panions fall ; but should they discover their enemies, 

 either by sight or by their sense of smell, which is 

 very acute, they seek for safety by instant flight. 

 The bulls are, however, irascible, and will often attack 

 the hunter, and endanger his life, particularly when 

 they are wounded. The musk ox is about the size 

 of a small domestic ox. Their horns are very broad 

 at base, covering the forehead and crown of the head; 

 they curve downwards between the eye and ear, until 

 about the level of the mouth, when they turn upwards. 

 The head is large and broad, and the nose very ob- 

 tuse. The ears are short, and not very conspicuous. 

 The general colour of the hair of the body is brown. 

 On the neck and between the shoulders, it is long, 

 matted, and somewhat curled: this bushy state of the 

 hair on those parts, causes the animal to appear 

 humped. The hair on the back and hips is also long, 

 but lies even and smooth. On the shoulders, sides, 

 and thighs, it is so long as to hang down below the 

 middle of the leg. On the centre of the back it has 

 a soiled, brownish- white mark, termed, by capt. Parry, 

 the saddle. The tail is so short as to be concealed in 

 the fur. There is a large qtinntity of fine, brownish, 

 ash-coloured wool or down among the hair. This is 

 so fine and soft as to resemble silk, and would be 

 highly useful in the arts, if it could be procured in 

 sufficient quantity. The legs are short and thick, and 

 furnished with narrow hoofs, resembling those of the 

 moose. The female, which is smaller than the male, 

 lias also smaller horns, whose bases do not touch. 

 The first account of this animal was given by M. 

 Jeremie, in his travels in the northern part of Ame- 

 rica, after which it was noticed by every subsequent 

 voyager. Pennant, however, was the first who sys- 

 tematically arranged and described it, from the skin 

 of a female sent to England by Hearne. As is ob- 

 served by doctor Richardson, it is remarkable, among 

 the American animals, for never having had more than 

 one specific appellation, whilst other animals, of less in- 

 terest, have been honoured with a long list of synonyms. 

 See Richardson's Faun. Am. Bar. from which the 

 foregoing account has been principally derived. 



MUSK RAT (fiber). This well known animal, 

 which is so closely allied in form and manners to the 

 heaver, has a thick and blunt nose, and short ears, 

 which are almost concealed in its fur. The colour 

 of its body is reddish-brown ; the belly and breast are 

 of an ash-colour, slightly mixed with a ferruginous 

 tint. The hair is soft and glossy, and beneath it is a 

 thick coat, which is much used in the manufacture of 

 hats. On the hinder feet, instead of the web con- 

 necting the toes, as in the beaver, there is a stiff 

 fringe of hair, which is closely set, and projects from 

 the sides ; the front toes are free and unconnected. 

 The tail is thin at the edges, and compressed, covered 

 with small scales, with a few scattered hairs, is about 

 nine inches long, or nearly that of the body, which is 

 twelve. The flesh is not eatable from the strong 

 odour of musk which pervades it. The musk rat is 

 exceedingly common in most parts of the United 

 States of America, particularly in the Northern. In 

 Carolina, Georgia, &c. , Bartram states that it is never 

 found within one hundred miles of the sea coast. 

 These animals reside along small streams, mill races, 

 and ponds, apparently forming their habitations ac- 

 cording to the nature of the locality. Where the 

 banks have some elevation, they form large and exten- 

 sive burrows, which have entrances below the surface 

 of the water, and gradually ascend till they terminate 

 in a chamber above the level of high water. These 

 burrows are most frequently made under the roots of 

 trees, or in other situations of difficult access. These 

 excavations are of great injury to artificial embank- 

 ments along canals and rivers, by permitting the water 

 to undermine, and to make large breaches in them. 

 When, however, these animals inhabit low and marshy 

 situations, they construct houses not very unlike those 

 of the beaver, composed of reeds, &c., mixed with 

 clay. These houses have several subterraneous 

 passages leading to them, and are inhabited by many 

 individuals during the winter ; but in the warm wea- 

 ther, they desert them entirely, and dwell in pairs, 

 whilst they rear their young, of which they have from 

 three to six at a litter. The houses are constructed 

 in the marsh or swamp, but not in the stream or pond, 

 and a new one erected every season. Hearne says, 

 that the tops of these houses are favourite breeding 

 places for the geese, which bring forth their young 

 there, without the fear of being molested by foxes, 

 or any other destructive animal, except the eagle. 

 He also states, that, on Hudson's bay, instead of 

 making their houses on the banks of the water, they 

 build them on the ice, always taking care to leave a 

 hole, to permit them to dive for their food. When 

 the weather is so severe as to freeze these holes, and 

 they suffer from hunger, there is strong reason to be- 

 lieve, that they prey on each other. Their usual food 

 is the roots, &c. of aquatic plants, particularly the 

 calamus : they also destroy immense quantities of the 

 different species of fresh water muscles (unio), the 

 shells of which are always to be seen about the en- 

 trance of their burrows. They will aho feed on fruit, 

 and one of the common baits used in traps for them, is 

 an apple. They swim remarkably well , and are capa- 

 ble of remaining underwater for a considerable time. 

 They usually come forth in the night, generally re- 

 maining in the burrows during the day time. Among 

 the traders to the north, they are known tinder the 

 name of musquash. 



MUSS( IIINMROEK, PETF.RVAN, a celebrated 

 natural philosopher, born at I.eyden, in 1692, 

 studied in the university of that city, and entered 

 upon the practice of medicine. Similarity of scien- 

 tific tastes united him (1717) in a close intimacy 

 with the celebrated S'Gravesande, with whom he 

 pursued his studies in natural philosophy. After 

 practising his profession four years, Musschenbroek 



