THE MUSK DEER. 565 



the males, but have an aversion to use the females as food." The Munt- 

 jak is monogamous, and whenever a troop of them is seen, it proves to 

 consist of the members of a single family. 



The Kidang is regularly hunted by the Javanese. It leaves a good 

 scent, and can be easily followed by hounds. When it sees itself pur- 

 sued, it does not, like the stag, run straight onward, but, after a short 

 burst at its highest speed, it slackens its pace and describes a large 

 curve calculated to bring it back to its original starting-point. The 

 natives assert that it is a weak, lazy creature. If it is followed up perse- 

 veringly, it will finally push its head into a thick bush, and stand there 

 motionless, as if it were in complete security. The dogs used in the 

 chase are commonly the half-wild Paria dogs. The Muntjak, when 

 brought to bay, knows how to make good use of his small antlers, and 

 makes many a hound bite the dust. In the island of Banca the favorite 

 method of taking the Kidang is by driving it into a space between two 

 long hedges which gradually come nearer to each other, and are fur- 

 nished at the narrow exit with nooses suspended from the trees. The 

 Kidang is driven in by dogs, and as he attempts to escape, is caught by 

 the horns. 



GENUS MOSCHUS. 



The members of this hornless genus are sometimes classed as a dis- 

 tinct family, but they differ in no important points of organization from 

 the rest of the Ccrvidce. They are found in Central Asia from the Amoor 

 River to the Himalayas and the Siamese mountains, above eight thou- 

 sand feet elevation. 



THE MUSK DEER. 



The Musk Deer, Moschus moschiferus (Plate XL), is the only species 

 known. It is about the size of the Roebuck, but stands lower in the 

 front than the hind quarters. Its legs are slender, the neck short, the 

 head rounded at the muzzle, the eyes of moderate size with long lashes, 

 and the ears are oval. The hoofs are small and narrow, but can be 

 extended by means of a fold of skin between the two parts so that they 

 form, in connection with the false-hoofs which reach to the ground, a 

 sure support for the animal on the snow-fields and glaciers. The coat 

 is thick and close, becoming longer at each side of the breast, and on the 



