May 5, 1906.] 
POREST. AND, STREAM. 
Se 
NAN 
RAIL 
LODSTOLNT 

Musk Ox. 
Ovibos moschatus (Zimmermann). 
From R. MacFarlane’s “Mammals of the Northwest 
Territories” in Proceedings of the National Museum, 
Vol. XXVIII. 
TuIs interesting member of the family Bovidz 
has not, so far as I am aware, been discovered 
in the flesh to the westward of the Mackenzie 
River, nor, as a rule, are many met with in the 
tract of country lying to the eastward between 
that stream and the Anderson. Mr. P. Des- 
chambeault distinctly remembers having, up- 
ward of fifty years ago, seen his first musk-ox 
skin at Fort McPherson, Peel River, then in 
charge of his father, Chief Trader George Des- 
chambeault. It had probably been taken from 
a straggler by an Indian on the east side of 
the Makenzie River. In the “Barrens” proper, 
however, as well as along the arctic American 
coast, and on the borders of, and for a short 
distance within the northern forest region to 
the southeastward, in winter, musk oxen are 
fairly, though in no one place or section very 
numerous. In fact, very few were ever ob- 
served by us on any of our several specimen- 
collecting tours from Fort Anderson to Frank- 
lin Bay, or on any other of our many sum- 
mer and winter journeys within the Arctic 
Circle. ’ 
On one occasion, however (July 4, 1864), on 
our way back from that bay, we saw a herd of 
twenty-five animals of various ages reposing on 
the side (and just below the summit) of a gentle 
eminence in the Barren Grounds. A patriarchal- 
looking bull on the top of the eminence evi- 
denty kept guard, while the others appeared to 
sleep. I had been for some time endeavoring 
to obtain a pair of live calves for shipment to 
London, and as this seemed a good opportunity 
for making an attempt in that direction we 
rapidly advanced to about 300 yards from their 
position, when we halted and unloaded our 
twelve Eskimo pack-carrying dogs and sent 
them at the herd, while several of the fastest 
sprinters in our party. of twenty followed as 
closely as they could. As soon as the dogs were 
perceived, the sentinel gave the alarm and the 
musk oxen immediately set off in different direc- 
tions, apparently very much startled, but when 
the dogs began to bark the musk oxen rallied 
instantly, came together, and presented a rather 
formidable front to their assailants. This mili- 
tary-square-like formation on the part of the 
musk oxen seemed to have a rather terrifying 
effect on our dogs, as they almost ceased to 
bark, though now within a few yards of the 
herd. In the meantime we were all rapidly 
nearing the herd, and I was in hopes that with 
our dogs we might be able to surround or run 
down and capture one or more of the several 
spring calves- observed: - When they became 
aware of our near presence—the close prox- 
imity of the dogs (who resumed their barking) 
having taken up their attention—by the prema- 
ture firing of a shot which fatally wounded one 
of the larger animals they all scampered away 
at such a sweeping canter that we soon gave up 
the chase as hopeless, although our dogs con- 
tinued to follow them for some time, but later 
returned to partake of the spoil of the killed 
animal. After skinning the three-year-old male, 
we noticed a moving object at some distance, 
which we supposed to be one of the dogs, but 
it turned out to be a spring calf which had evi- 
dently swerved from the main body and was 
doubtless searching for its mother. Several of 
the party thereupon started out with the dogs 
in full pursuit, and we all had to show our best 
paces for several hundred yards before we could 
reach the spot where he was brought to bay. 
We at once secured him by means of a looped 
line, but not before he was wounded by the 
dogs. We had much trouble in getting the calf 
to accompany us—in fact, we first let him rather 
exhaust himself in bucking and kicking like a 
goat, while he stubbornly refused to be led by 
a line. After a time, when prodded from be- 
hind, he would make a rush at his leader, but 
he eventually quieted down and followed the 
Indian to the camp. Next day he seemed rather 
subdued and gave no trouble, not even when 
being carried across the Wilmot Horton River, 
but to my deep regret he died at sunrise the 
following morning, having no doubt bled to 
death internally. On reaching Rendezvous 
Lake, near the end of the eastern limit of the 
woods, my disappointment was great when I 
learned that a female spring musk-ox calf, 
which had shortly before been secured for me 
by an Anderson River Indian, had been killed 
by dogs during the previous night. Subse- 
quent attempts in the same desirable direction 
unfortunately failed, and the field is therefore 
still open for the successful efforts of some 
favorably circumstanced and luckier party. 
On another occasion (June 29, 1865), near the 
Wilmot Horton River, we shot a large bull 
which was grazing on a flat plain bordering on 
a small stream named Eagle. After approach- 
ing him we unloaded our dogs and they soon 
surrounded and began barking at him, a course 
which he resented by endeavoring to impale one 
of them on his sharply curved horns, but just 
as we were coming within gun range he noticed 
us and at once made off at full speed. It was 
surprising to witness the seemingly easy, but 
really swift, gait at which this rather short- 
legged and clumsy-looking beast ascended a some- 
what steep hill in front of him. A long and 
well-directed shot, however, suddenly ended his 
career. The beef proved acceptable to the men 
and dogs, and it neither smelled nor tasted of 
musk, as it often does later in the year, but espe- 
cially during the rutting season, when it is scarcely 
eatable except by natives and a few of the com- 
pany’s servants blessed with strong appetites 
and good digestive powers. The hide was se- 
cured, but the skin was so dilapidated, owing to 
the thick inner coating being still unshed except 
in large ugly patches, that it was useless as 
a specimen. 
During the severe cold of winter, the musk- 
ox enters the outer sections of the forest and is 
frequently found therein to a distance of 40 or 
50 miles, while we have heard of more than one 
instance where a stray animal had been killed at 
fully 100 miles from the nearest “Barrens.” 
The most southerly wandering of the species be- 
yond the limits of its normal range is that re- 
corded by M. Preble in North American Fauna, 
No. 22 (1902). A pair was seen on the “Bar- 
rens” between York factory and Fort Churchill 
in about latitude 57° north, and the male was 
shot. This authentic information was obtained 
by Mr. Preble from Dr. Alexander Milne, factor, 
Hudson’s Bay Company, Winnipeg. 
The northern range of the musk-ox is truly 
polar. Nearly every wintering arctic expedition 
has met with them singly or in small (never in 
large) herds. Former traces have also been ob- 
served at many northern points, while on one 
occasion a traveling party on Melville Land 
(Island) saw a pure white individual among a 
comparatively large herd—probably the only 
instance of the kind on record. Between Sept. 
3, 1852; and Sept. 9, 1853, the hunters of Her 
Majesty’s arctic ship Resolute shot 114 musk 
oxen on Melville Island, a clear proof of itself 
that they are fairly abundant in that’ locality. 
Doctor Armstrong, of the Investigator, says that 
in Prince of Wales Strait five, and during his 
stay in Mercy Bay, Banks Land, two full-grown 
animals were killed. Several were also shot by 
himself and Lieutenant Pim on Melville Island. 
In 1875-76 Sir George Nares, of Her Majesty’s 
exploring ship Alert, who wintered in latitude 
82° 27’ north, longitude 61° 22’ west, secured 
quite a number of animals. The first herd seen 
consisted of a veteran and two young bulls and 
four old and two young cows. They were all 
surrounded and, with the exception of the first- 
mentioned, which required several bullets to 
finish him, were easily killed. Nares refers to 
the fact that in 1872 the crew of the American 
expedition ship Polaris shot twenty-six ani- 
mals on the opposite side of Kennedy Channel 
during the twelve months passed by them in that 
latitude. 
Markham remarks that “musk oxen ascend 
hills and climb over rocks and rough surfaces 
with great ease.” He further adds that. “they 
are very irascible when wounded, and will some- 
times attack a hunter and seriously endanger his 
life.” Doctor Armstrong has also recorded an 
interesting experience in Prince of Wales 
Strait in which the dam and sire of a. small 
herd brought to bay bravely stood in front pro- 
tecting the others in the rear, an action which 
surely afforded strong proof of their affection- 
ate instinct. On this occasion three males, the 
mother, and a young female calf were all shot. 
Sir Leopold McClintock, who had been en- 
gaged in several Franklin search expeditions, 
writes: 
“The white cow (the albino observed on Mel- 
ville Island) was accompanied by a black calf. 
The musk-ox clambers up the steepest rocks 
like a goat, and, when running, his long black 
hair heaves up and down, streaming in the 
breeze, and gives him a peculiarly savage ap- 
pearance. It is so long that he occasionally 
treads thereon, and one finds hairs almost 2 feet 
in length stamped into the snow. There is an 
undergrowth of very thick wool so soft and 
silky that the warmest gloves have been made 
of it. The musk-ox is not absolutely deficient 
of a tail, but it never exceeds 1%4 inches in 
length. They do not seem to cross from one 
island to another, as the reindeer do, but usually 
roam about in small herds. Unaccustomed to 
man, they seldom deigned to notice us until we 
came tolerably near; then they would generally 
close together in an attitude of defense. While 
facing you their massive horns so effectually 
shield every vital part that it is useless to fire, 
and therefore a single sportsman must wait 
until their patience is exhausted and they alter 
their position; but it is desirable’to get behind a 
block of glassy ice, a rock, or some rough 
ground, where they can not charge straight at 
you, which we have known them to do before, 
as well as after being fired at. I once came 
across a solitary old bull which instantly faced 
me, spent a few seconds rubbing his horns 
against his fore legs (a sure sign that mischief 
is brewing) and rushed on me at full speed; 
but I had taken the precaution so to approach 
him that I was able to shoot him when he halted 
on the brink of the ravine down which I had 
retreated.” 
McClintock further says that three or four 
sportsmen may station themselves about a herd 
at a distance of seventy or eighty yards, and then 
pick off the restless ones first, which so greatly 
bewilders the remainder that they are easily se- 
cured. He was himself one of three who thus 
shot down a herd of ten in three or four minutes. 
No wonder, therefore, that he ardently longed 
for a similar experience at Fort Kennedy, as it 
would have furnished the crew of his vessel with 
fresh meat every day for three months, but un- 
fortunately not an animal could be seen. In the 
vicinity of Fort Conger, Lady Franklin Bay, 
Grinnell Land, in latitude 81° 44’ north and longi- 
tude 64° 45’ west, General Greely, U. S. Army, 
