440 



Erois'urn of Datura! $?ts't0rn ; 



of the body being about three feet four inches. 

 The upper jaw is considerably longer than 

 the lower, and is furnished on each side with 

 a curved tusk, about two inches long, the 

 inner edges of which are quite sharp. The 

 general colour of the body is a kind of deep 

 iron-gray : the ears are erect, about two 

 inches long, of a deep brown colour exter- 

 nally, and pale yellow within ; the hoofs 

 long, and much divided ; and the tail ex- 

 tremely short. These animals are hunted 

 lor the sake of their musk ; which is con- 

 tained in au oval receptacle, or small glandu- 

 lar pouch, situate at the hinder part of the 

 abdomen, and peculiar to the male. The 

 unctuous secretion contained in this recep- 

 tacle is of the most powerful and penetrating 

 nature ; but from the ease with which it 

 can be adulterated, very little of it reaches 

 Europe in a pure state. The follicle con- 

 taining the musk is covered with short brown 

 hair, and is more or less full according to 

 the age, health, &c. of the animal : the niusk, 

 when dry, is of a dark reddish brown colour ; 

 has a bitterish sub-acrid taste ; and a fra- 

 grant smell, agreeable at a distance, but so 

 strong and pungent as to be highly unplea- 

 sant when quite near. It is held in high 

 estimation as a medicine among oriental 

 nations. 



The JAVANESE MUSK DEER. 

 Javanicvs.) This animal is rather larger 

 than a full-sized hare : body heavy ; limbs 

 very delicate : head arched and long ; eyes 



laru'c, but not expressive. Its general colour 

 is brown mixed with gray or yellowish re- 

 flections, the yellow predominating along 

 the back and tail, on the legs, the neck, and 

 head. 



There are other Musk-deer, which are 

 very small, and to which the general term 

 of ( 'Im-rotaim is given : they are inhabitants 

 of Java, Sumatra, Ceylon, and Southern 

 India ; and are adapted to a forest rather 

 than a mountain life. They are timid and 

 wild in their native haunts, but gentle and 

 mild in captivity, and particularly elegant 

 in their appearance and movements. 



MUSK OX. (Oi'ibos moschat.us.~) This 

 animal, which by some naturalists has been 

 considered as Intermediate between the sheep 

 and ox, inhabits the more northern parts of 

 America, where the country is mostly rocky 

 and barren, except on the banks of the larger 

 rivers. When they are fat the flesh is well- 

 flavoured, but smells strongly of musk. 

 They herd together in flocks of twenty or 

 thirty. The Musk Ox is about the height 



of a deer, but of much stouter proportions- 

 The horns are very broad at the base, cover- 

 ing the forehead and crown of the head ; 

 and curving downwards between the eye 

 and ear, until about the level of the mouth, 

 hen they turn upwards. The head is large 



MDSK OX. (O 



MOSCHATU8.) 



and broad, and the nose very obtuse : the 

 ears are short, and not very conspicuous. 

 The hair of the body is in general brown ; 

 on the neck and between the shoulders it is 

 long, matted, and somewhat curled ; and 

 this bushy state of the hair on those parts 

 causes the animal to appear humped. On 

 the back and hips the hair is also long, but 

 lies even and smooth ; and on the shoulders, 

 thighs, and sides, it is so long as to hang 

 down below the middle of the leg. The tail 

 is so short as to be concealed in the fur. 

 Beneath the long hair, on all parts of the 

 animal, is a fine kind of soft ash-coloured 

 wool, which, if it could be procured in snfti- 

 cieut quantity, would be highly useful to 

 the manufacturer. The legs of the Musk 

 Ox are short and thick, and furnished with 

 narrow hoofs, resembling those of the Moose. 

 The female is smaller than the male, and 

 has also smaller horns, whose bases do not 

 meet. Her general colour is black, except 

 that the legs are whitish, and between the 

 horns there is a bed of white hair intermixed 

 with rust colour : an elevated ridge or mane 

 of dusky hair runs along the back, and on 

 the middle of the back is an oblong patch 

 or bed of white hair, shorter than the rest, 

 and which has been termed the saddle. 

 The Musk Ox runs nimbly, and climbs hills 

 and rocks with great ease. When pursued 

 by the hunter, they seek for safety by instant 

 flight ; hut the bulls are sometimes dan- 

 gerously irascible when closely pressed. 

 Perhaps the only specimen now in Europe 

 is that preserved in the noble collection at 

 the British Museum. This individual was 

 brought by Capt. Parry from Melville Island. 



MUSK-RAT, called in Canada, where it 

 abounds, the MUSQUASH, (/tfier zibrthi- 

 cus.) This animal is about the size of a 

 small rabbit, and of a reddish- brown colour ; 

 its feet are partly webbed ; and its tail some- 

 what flattened. It has four very strong 

 cutting teeth, of which those in the lower 

 jaw are nearly an inch long : the fur on the 

 whole body is soft and glossy and beneath 

 is a fine fur or thick down, as in the beaver. 

 It has also similar instincts and dispositions ; 



