MUSK OX 



Ovibos uioschatus. 



From the sixty-first parallel of latitude, north as far as land 

 extends, are to be found the last survivors of a family which, as 

 fossilized remains tell us, once roamed over North America. How 

 they eke out an existence on the limited fare of mosses and lichens 

 obtainable in their haunts of ice and snow is an unsolved problem, 

 but they somehow manage, not only to keep alive, but to appear 

 well-nourished even during the dark coldness of winter. The name 

 is due to a peculiar musky scent which emanates from the body and 

 also flavors the flesh ; this taint is confined to the males, and in 

 them varies with age and condition, being least objectionable when 

 they are fat, and practically absent in the young ; the immediate 



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