THE MUSK ANIMAL. 297 



strong smell, but when mixed and diffused be- 

 comes a very agreeable perfume. Indeed, no sub- 

 stance now known in the world has a stronger or 

 a more permanent smell. A grain of musk per- 

 fumes a whole room, and its odour continues for 

 some days without diminution. But in a larger 

 quantity it continues for years together ; and 

 seems scarcely wasted in its weight, although it 

 has filled the atmosphere to a great distance with 

 its parts. It is particularly used in medicine 

 in nervous and hysteric disorders ; and is found, 

 in such cases, to be the most powerful remedy 

 now in use : however, the animal that furnishes 

 this admirable medicine has been very variously 

 described, and is known but very imperfectly. 



The description given of this animal by Grew 

 is as follows : " The musk animal is properly nei- 

 ther of the goat nor deer kind, for it has no horns, 

 and it is uncertain whether it ruminates or not ; 

 however, it wants the fore-teeth in the upper jaw, 

 in the same manner as in ruminating animals, 

 but at the same time it has tusks like those of a 

 hog. It is three feet six inches in length from 

 the head to the tail, and the head is above half a 

 foot long. The fore part of the head is like that 

 of a grey-hound ; and the ears are three inches 

 long, and erect, like those of a rabbit ; but the 

 tail is not above two inches. It is cloven-footed, 

 like beasts of the goat kind : the hair on the head 

 and legs is half an inch long, on the belly an inch 

 and a half, and on the back and buttocks three 

 inches, and proportionably thicker than in any 

 other animal : it is brown and white alternately 



