NATURAL HISTORY AND SPORT IN THE HIMALAYAS. 397 
Oosrao told me we would possibly fall in with Monaul, as they 
were often found in the more open parts of this forest, but we 
were not lucky enough to come upon them to-day. 
In the afternoon I shot a Musk Deer, Moschus moschiferus, 
unfortunately a female. Both sexes being hornless, it is not easy 
to discriminate them at any distance. The creature was standing 
on a rocky knoll within twenty paces of me, and stared at me, 
unconscious of danger. She fell dead to a charge of No. 5 shot, 
and was a welcome addition to our larder, the flesh being tender 
and well-flavoured. I need not say the valuable musk-pod is 
only possessed by the male; it fetches about sixteen rupees in 
the market when unadulterated, but it is often tampered with and 
mixed with all sorts of impurities. I shot another Musk Deer a 
few days afterwards, again unluckily a doe; and Capt. T.’s shikaree 
killed a male on our return journey. The Musk Deer affects open 
woods and the margin of the forests, and is said to make a form 
for itself like our Hare, roaming from thence but little during the 
day, but coming into the open glades morning and evening, 
bounding away when disturbed with a curious whistle, but is not a 
shy animal when compared with other ground-game. Who knows 
the use of the long curved tusks? ‘To dig up the roots on which 
it delights to feed? Yes; but why, then, does not the female 
possess these implements? Better to have no explanation at all 
than guess at a wrong one, methinks. 
During the day I got a pair of the rare Picus hyperythrus, 
already noticed; Garrulax variegatus, Sibia capistrata, Oreocincla 
dauma, Larvivora cyana, Nemura rufilata (male and female), 
Ixulus flavicollis, Columba Hodgsoni, and a pair of Blue Magpies. 
Saw several small parties of the Himalayan Siskin, C. spinoides, 
and on my way home got-a pair of Accentor atrogularis on a bare 
rock close to the house. T. had added nothing of special interest 
to his collection. He took a different beat to mine for the day, 
and had only some common birds and a fine Crested Eagle, 
Spizaetus nipalensis? He had picked up some Porcupine-quills, 
and tried to obtain the owner by digging down upon what the 
Paharries said was the beast’s burrow, and then endeavouring 
to smoke him out; but he gave it up after an hour's toil. The 
hill-men say the Porcupine, Hystria leucura, is very destructive 
to their potato-crops. It is common on the lower ranges, and 
Mr. P., the German missionary at Koteghur, gave me a couple of 
