234 



THE MUSK DEER. 



in England in a wild state, but may still be met with in many parts 

 of Scotland. 



The color of the Roebuck is very variable, but is generally as follows : 

 The body is always of a brown tint as a ground hue, worked with either 

 red or gray, or remaining simply brown. Round the root of the tail is 

 a patch of pure white hair, and the abdomen and inside of the limbs 

 are grayish white. The chin is also white, and there is a white spot on 

 each side of the lips. 



The MoscHiNE Deer are readily known by the absence of horns in 

 both sexes, the extremely long canine teeth of the upper jaw in the 

 males, and the powerfully odorous secretion in one of the species, from 

 which they derive their popular as well as their scientific title. There 

 are at least eight or nine species of these curious animals. 



The most celebrated of these little Deer is the common MrsK Deer, 

 which is a native of the northern parts of India, and is found spread 



throughout a very large range 

 of country, always preferring 

 the cold and elevated moun- 

 tainous regions. The height 

 of the adult Musk Deer is 

 about two feet three inches at 

 the shoulders; the color is a 

 light brown, marked with a 

 shade of grayish yellow. In- 

 habiting the rocky and moun- 

 tainous locations of its native 

 The Mush Deer {Moschus Moschifcrvs). home, it is remarkably active 

 and sure-footed, rivalling even the chamois or the goat in the agility 

 with which it can ascend or descend the most fearful precipices. The 

 great length of the false hoofs adds much to the security of the Musk 

 Deer's footing upon the crags. 



It is only in the male that the long tusks are seen, and that the per- 

 fume called musk is secreted. The tusks are sometimes as much as 

 three inches in length, and therefore project considerably beyond the 

 jaw. In shape they are compressed, pointed, and rather sharp-edged. 

 The natives say that their principal use is in digging up the kastoree 

 plant, a kind of subterranean bulb on which the Musk Deer feeds, and 

 which imparts the peculiar perfume to the odorous secretion. The 

 musk is produced in a glandular pouch placed in the abdomen, and 

 when the animal is killed for the sake of this treasure, the musk-bag 

 is carefully removed, so as to defend its precious contents from exposure 

 to the air. When recently taken from the animal, the musk is of so 

 powerful an odor as to cause headache to those who inhale its over- 

 powering fragrance. The affluence of perfume that resides in the 



