260  HIMALAYAN  MUSK  DEER,  ETC. 
companied  bj  various  grades  of  servants,  some  to  hunt  up  and 
look  out  for  game,  others  to  carry  provisions,  cooking  utensils, 
&c, ;  consequently,  genuine  musk  must  always  maintain  a  high 
rate. 
It  will  be  seen  that  there  is  a  thin  membrane  under  the  outer 
skin  of  the  abdomen,  of  a  small  bladder-like  appearance,  con- 
taining a  thickish  soft  substance,  which  is  the  musk.  The  musk 
in  each  membranous  pod  usually  weighs  from  two  drachms  to 
an  ounce  ;  from  an  old  deer,  from  one  ounce  and  a  half  to  two 
ounces ;  and  its  odor  increases  in  proportion  to  the  age  of  the 
animal.  The  male  only  furnishes  the  musk ;  at  the  age  of 
twelve  months  and  under  it  does  not  yield  any,  and  it  is  only  at 
three  years  that  the  pod  contains  sufficient  to  be  worth  the 
trouble  of  extracting.  The  practised  eye  can  generally  judge  if 
it  be  a  young  one — if  so,  it  is  allowed  to  escape.  At  two  years 
the  pod  contains  a  yellowish  milky  substance,  and,  when  first 
changed  to  musk,  it  yields  not  more  than  two  drachms,  fre- 
quently less. 
A  few  extracts  from  our  Himalayan  correspondent's  letters 
may  more  clearly  illustrate  its  character  : — 
"One  or  two  small  parcels  I  have  sent  to  London  have  had  a 
preference  in  the  market  even  to  the  best  Assam.  About  send- 
ing it  in  pods  with  the  hair  on  ?  I  will  do  so  if  you  like,  but  I 
would  not  recommend  it,  as  my  musk  is  genuine  just  as  it  is 
taken  from  the  animal.  The  thin  bladder-like  skin  dries  in  the 
sun  in  a  few  hours — that  in  the  hairy  pods,  on  the  contrary, 
gets  quite  roasted  in  the  process  of  preserving  and  preparing. 
^'The  native  plan  is  to  make  a  stone  nearly  red  hot,  and  the 
pod  is  first  applied  to  it  inwardly  and  outwardly  till  the  skin  is 
nearly  dry,  when  it  is  stitched  up,  and  the  navel  side  is  then 
held  to  the  stone,  pressing  it  and  closing  it  with  considerable 
force  till  the  pod  is  quite  dry.  If  this  was  not  done,  putrefac- 
tion would  ensue,  which,  though  only  of  the  skin,  would  not  im- 
prove the  musk. 
<t  I  sent  both  kinds  home,  to  ascertain  which  was  best,  and 
that  in  the  pods  without  the  hairy  skin  was  declared  to  be  far 
-superior.  All  came  from  the  same  place,  and  from  animals 
skilled  the  same  season." 
In  a  letter  of  a  former  year  he  states  :  — 
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