98 ADULTEEATION. 



hot oil, instead of laying it on a hot stone ; 

 but either method must deteriorate the 

 quality of the musk, as it gets either com- 

 pletely baked or fried. It is best both in 

 appearance and smell, if the pod is at 

 once cut from the skin, and allowed to dry 

 of itself. 



The musk received from the Puharries is 

 greatly adulterated, and pods are often 

 made altogether counterfeit ; and as they 

 are generally sold without being cut open, 

 it is scarcely possible to detect the imposture 

 at the time. I have often seen pods offered 

 for sale, which were merely a piece of musk- 

 deer skin filled with some substance, and tied 

 up to resemble a musk-pod, with a Httle 

 musk rubbed over to make it smell. These 

 are easy to detect, from there being no navel 

 on the skin, it being cut from any part of the 

 body. But the musk is sometimes taken 

 out of real pods, and its place supplied by 

 some other substance, and these are difficult 

 to detect even if cut open, as whatever is 

 put in, is made to resemble musk in 



