56 THIRTY-FIVE YEARS IN THE EAST;. 



down, and our hounds bit it so violently that it was-- 

 nearly killed. Having taken it home, I v/as advised 

 by General Avitabile to cut ofif the musk-bagf, which T 

 did, and keep to this day ; it being considered that un- 

 less that operation is perforroed previously to the death 

 of the animal, the useful substance of the musk-deer 

 will entirely disappear ; the rest of the animal was regard- 

 ed as useless, which I now regret, believing that it was> 

 the most valuable specimen I ever met with, as- I have 

 r\ever heard of such animals being found in the plains- 

 of India. Those to whom I showed the mu&k-bag in^ 

 Europe, suggested that the animal had found his way 

 there from the Himalaya, and it might have been so ; but 

 the odour and appearance of the musk of Cashmere and 

 Thibet is quite different. The exterior of the bag of 

 this animal resembles that of the musk of China, it has- 

 smooth, soft, and short hair ; but the interior is a yellowish' 

 brown mass, as hard as bees-wax, whereas, the Chinese 

 musk is of a reddish-brown colour, and in grains of a 

 friable nature. Without having prepared the bag, I put 

 It into an iron box, and found that in the rainy season 

 the insects had destroyed the external hair, without having- 

 touched the internal parts. The musk has, like- that of 

 China, a strong, agreeable scent. 



r thought that where one animal was found, more of the 

 same race ought to exist, but I could not purchase any of- a 

 similar description. Inow regret not having examined the 

 hole where the precious animal was caught, as its companion 

 might have been there, neither did I preserve the skin. Still 

 I hope that the publication of this incident will induce 

 English sportsmen in India to try to obtain the prize which 

 escaped me, although the animal must be very rare, as 

 neither the native physicians nor the druggists possess any 

 knowledge of it. When in search of them, it ought to be 

 considered that these interesting creatures are shy, prefec 

 solitude, and live in cop-es, where their holes are made deep- 

 in the ground, beneath bushes, and thus they are saved from 

 total extermination. Many naturalists are of opinion that 



