208 



UNGULATES. 



young Indian buffalo, and it agrees with the members of that group in its triangular 

 horns, in the short and sparse hair of the adult, in the large and naked muzzle, 

 and the barrel-like form of its body. It likewise resembles those animals in its 

 bovine smell, its fondness for water and shade, and its habit of drinking by long 

 draughts instead of by short gulps. On the other hand, the anoa approximates to 

 the antelopes in its slender build, the structure of the hinder part of its skull, the 

 upright direction and straightness of its horns, the spots on the head, body, and 

 limbs, and its small size. In connection with the aforesaid fossil species from the 

 Siwalik Hills, the anoa clearly indicates a close connection between the antelopes 

 and the buffaloes ; and from these primitive antelope-like buffaloes the other more 

 specialised groups of oxen may have been developed. 



The Musk-Ox. 



Genus Ovibos. 



In the desolate regions of the far north of the Western Hemisphere, where 

 even in summer the surface of the ground scarcely thaws, is found the curious 

 musk-ox {Ovibos moschatus), which although presenting a certain superficial 

 resemblance to the oxen, is in reality far more nearly allied to the sheep. It 

 derives its name from the peculiar musky flavour with which the flesh is tainted, 

 and it forms the single living representative of a distinct genus. 



The musk-ox is about two-thirds the size of the American bison, but from its 

 long coat of hair looks larger than it really is. In appearance the animal has been 

 compared to a large hairy ram ; and it resembles the sheep in the marked convexity 

 of the profile of the face and the hairy muzzle. The head is broad, with the small 

 and pointed ears almost concealed by the hair ; the latter being long and thick, and 

 generally of a dark brown colour, although paler in the spring. Though matted 

 and curling on the back, the hair on the throat and flanks is straight and reaches 

 down to the middle of the legs ; it also entirely hides the very short tail. Beneath 

 the hair is a coat of fine soft wool, of a light brown colour. The most striking 

 peculiarity of the animal is, however, to be found in its horns. In the bulls the horns 

 have very wide and flattened bases, covering a large portion of the forehead, and 

 meeting one another in the middle line ; at first they curve sharply downwards, 

 becoming at the same time gradually narrower and less expanded, and then curving 

 sharply upwards and forwards, terminating in front of the eyes. The bases of the 

 horns are very rough, and of a yellowish- white colour, but they gradually become 

 less rough, and at the same time darker, till at the tips, where their section is 

 cylindrical, they are smooth and black. In the young rams and the cows the horns 

 are much smaller, and separated from one another by a considerable interval in the 

 middle line. The limbs are short and massive ; and the feet are peculiar in that 

 while the outer hoof of each is rounded the inner one is pointed ; there is a con- 

 siderable growth of hair between the hoofs, which aids the animal in obtaining a 

 sure foothold on the ice. The molar teeth of the musk-ox are like those of the 

 sheep, and thus quite different from those of the oxen. Average-sized horns are 

 about 24 or 25 inches in length, but they may reach 27J inches. 



