THE MUSK-OX AT HOME 227 



As a rule each herd of ten to fifteen cows has one or 

 two bulls. 



When they are attacked and their archenemy is the 

 arctic wolf they form a circle, with the calves inside, 

 rumps together, and heads facing the enemy. 



Their range is from about the 65th degree of latitude 

 north to the Arctic Ocean, and from Hudson's Bay on the 

 east to the Coppermine River on the west. Formerly 

 they were found as far west as the Mackenzie River, but 

 few, if any, have been seen in that vicinity for a dozen 

 years. Outside of this extreme northern portion of North 

 America, Grinnell Land, and North Greenland, the animal 

 is found nowhere else in the world. Fossils have been 

 unearthed in Siberia, Greenland, Alaska, and northern 

 Europe showing its range formerly to have been very 

 much extended, but now it is not known to exist beyond 

 the Barren Grounds and the arctic islands. 



The robe is a very dark brown, which against the snow 

 looks almost black. Beginning at the top of the shoul- 

 ders is a lighter streak of hair, which at about the middle 

 of the back broadens out to a spot of dirty grayish white 

 about a foot in width, but that narrows again into a small 

 strip as it disappears towards the rump. 



The tail is short, like that of a bear, and not visible be- 

 cause of the great quantity of long hair on the stern. 



All over the body the hair is very long, extending be- 

 low the belly, and to a greater length (from fifteen to 

 twenty inches about) on the hind-quarters and under the 

 throat and chest, where it hangs almost like the mane of 

 a horse. At the root of this hair grows a coat of mouse- 

 gray wool of the finest texture, which protects the animal 

 in winter and is shed in summer. 



There seems a decided tendency to a hump, which 

 is accentuated by the longish, stiffish hair that stands 



