THE SOURCES OF MUSK. 145 



much so that the bark which possesses the property in the greatest degree 

 may be used for the same purposes as that perfume, and the tree is there- 

 fore called musk wood. It is a native of French Guiana and the West 

 India Islands. Mosclioxylum Sivartzii also emits from all its parts, when 

 rubbed, a smell of musk, and hence it is called musk tree in Jamaica. 

 The seeds of Abelmoschus moschatus have an odour somewhat between 

 musk and amber, and are erupted as a substitute for animal musk. Its 

 generic name is derived from the Arabic hub-ool-moosk. The plant is 

 now cultivated in Martinique, whence the seed is largely exported to France, 

 where it is employed by perfumers in the preparation of pomatums, pow- 

 ders, and perfumes ; by them it is called Ambrette and Graine d' Ambrette. 

 Under the name of musk-seed, parcels are occasionally imported and sold 

 at the drug sales in London, being worth about 4s. per pound. In Egypt 

 and Arabia the natives bruise this seed, and, mixing it with their coffee, 

 regard it as a cordial and stomachic. 



The root of some large umbelliferous plant also enters into commerce under 

 the name of sumbul, or musk-root. It has been known since 1840 in Ger- 

 many, and was imported into Moscow and St. Petersburg by merchants 

 from Khokand. It has also been received here overland from India. It 

 has some medicinal repute. It seems to be questionable whether the odour 

 is not artificially given. M. Landerer, of Athens, in the " Repert : die 

 Pharmacie," states as follows : — 



" The oriental medical men use a number of vegetable substances with a 

 powerful odour of musk in their various compounds. The pilgrims, on 

 their return from Mecca, generally import, among other articles of trade, 

 plants with a musk-like odour for sale. A short time ago I received a few 

 leaves from Jerusalem with so powerful an odour of musk that they quite 

 impregnated the wardrobe in which I placed them with their perfume. The 

 preparation of these vegetable substances is said to be a secret among the 

 Hakims, and is effected by smearing them over with musk balsam ; but I 

 could not learn whether this balsam is prepared by digesting musk in spirit, 

 oil, or ether. I have now in my possession a root from Constantinople, 

 with a strong odour of musk, which appears to be that of an iris. If I 

 digest this root several times in spirit, I can deprive it of its odour ; and if 

 I then pour ammonia over it, the musk odour is again restored." 



LT. Animal Musk.' — Several of the Longicornia are remarkable for ex- 

 haling an agreeable musky odour, of which we have an instance in a 

 British species, the Callichroma moschata, or musk beetle. In Borneo and 

 Asia an elongated polished Cerambyx diffuses a very powerful odour of 

 attar of roses, like the agreeable perfume emitted by the Cerambyx rosalia 

 of the Pyrenees. 



Among quadrupeds the musky odour is particularly noticeable in the 

 European bison and the musk ox, although for commercial purposes musk 

 is solely obtained from the musk deer (Mosclws moschiferus), and only 

 found in adult males. In some individuals the musk pod may contain as 

 much as two ounces. An ounce may be considered as the average from a 



