$66 UNGULATA. 



throat ; the hairs forming it are stiff, long and twisted, and display the 

 most perfect cellular structure of all kinds of hair. The color of these 

 deer is various ; hardly two specimens can be found alike in this respect. 

 Some are dark, some a dirty-white, others reddish-brown, others yellow- 

 ish-brown, while others have longitudinal lines of light-colored spots on 

 the back. The canine teeth project, in the male, outside of the mouth, 

 and are curved backward ; these tusks are sometimes as much as three 

 inches in length. Both sexes are devoid of horns. 



The popular as well as scientific name of this deer is derived from 

 the possession of a powerfully odorous secretion. The musk-pouch lies 

 near the navel, and communicates with the air by two small openings. 

 Small glands placed in the interior of this pouch secrete the musk : the 

 average quantity found in an animal when at maturity is thirty grammes, 

 or four hundred and fifty grains Troy. The secretion when dried be- 

 comes a granular mass, which at first is reddish-brown, but finally dark- 

 ens to a coal-black shade. The odor decreases as the musk becomes 

 darker, and is quite destroyed by mixture with sulphur or camphor. If 

 burnt, it gives out an offensive smell. 



Neither the Greeks nor the Romans, although they were curious 

 about all kinds of odoriferous substances, knew anything about this 

 animal. On the other hand, the Chinese have used this musk for thou- 

 sands of years. Our first knowledge of it came from the Arabs. Aboo 

 Senna writes that the best musk came from Thibet, and was produced 

 by an antelope-like creature which had two projecting tusks. Marco 

 Polo, the celebrated Venetian traveler, describes the animal, and calls 

 the musk "the finest balsam known by man." 



The Musk Deer is found most abundantly on the Tibetian slopes of 

 the Himalaya, near Lake Baikal, and in the mountains of Mongolia. 

 Here they are killed by hundreds. In the Western Himalaya they are* 

 found in the lower part of the range, never in herds, but usually in pairs. 

 They love grassy slopes that are near thickets, in which they can hide 

 by day, for they only venture at twilight to visit the treeless feeding- 

 grounds. Although the deer is eagerly pursued on account of its musk, 

 yet it is by no means timid, and seldom runs away, unless molested. Its 

 gait is a series of short leaps followed by a brief pause. When it is at 

 liberty, it has never been heard to utter a sound ; it does not even call 

 for its mate, but when captured, it utters a kind of scream. Its tracks 

 ar«> vor^ v emarkable, as both the false hoofs leave a clear impression. 



