THE  MUSK-DEER. 
333 
of  being  much  larger  in  the  hind-quarters  than  the  shoulder. 
The  tail,  which  is  not  seen  unless  the  fur  is  parted,  is  an  inch 
long,  and  about  the  thickness  of  a  thumb ;  in  females  and  young 
animals  it  is  covered  with  hair,  but  in  adult  males  is  quite  naked, 
except  a  slight  tuft  at  the  end ;  and  often  covered,  as  well  as  all 
the  parts  near  it,  with  a  yellowish  waxy  substance. 
The  musk,  which  is  much  better  known  than  the  deer  itself, 
is  only  found  in  adult  males  ;  the  females  have  none,  neither  has 
any  portion  of  their  bodies  the  slightest  odor  of  musk.  The  dung 
of  the  males  smells  nearly  as  strong  as  musk,  but,  singularly 
enough,  neither  in  the  contents  of  the  stomach,  nor  bladder,  nor 
in  any  part  of  the  body,  is  there  any  perceptible  scent  of  musk. 
The  pod,  which  is  placed  near  the  navel,  and  between  the  flesh 
and  the  skin,  is  composed  of  several  layers  of  thin  skin,  in  which 
the  musk  is  confined,  and  has  much  the  appearance  of  the  craw 
or  stomach  of  a  partridge,  or  other  small  gallinaceous  bird,  when 
full  of  food.    There  is  an  orifice  outwards  through  the  skin,  into 
which,  by  a  slight  pressure,  the  little  finger  will  pass,  but  it  has 
no  connexion  whatever  with  the  body.    It  is  probable  that  musk 
is  at  times  discharged  through  this  orifice,  as  the  pod  is  often 
found  not  half  full,  and  sometimes  even  nearly  void.    The  musk 
itself  is  in  grains,  from  the  size  of  a  small  bullet  to  small  shot, 
of  irregular  shape,  but  generally  a  dark  reddish-brown  color, 
but  when  taken  out  of  the  pod  and  kept  for  any  length  of  time, 
becomes  nearly  black.    In  autumn  and  winter  the  grains  are 
firm,  hard,  and  nearly  dry,  but  in  summer  they  become  damp  and 
soft,  probably  from  the  green  food  the  animals  then  eat.    It  is 
formed  with  the  animal,  as  the  pod  of  a  young  one,  taken  out  of 
the  womb,  is  plainly  distinguishable,  and  indeed  is  much  larger 
in  proportion  than  in  grown-up  animals.   For  two  years  the  con- 
tents of  the  pod  remain  a  soft,  milky  substance,  with  a  disagree- 
able smell.    When  it  first  becomes  musk,  there  is  not  much  more 
than  the  eighth  of  an  ounce  ;  as  the  animal  grows,  it  increases 
in  quantity ;  and  in  some  individuals  as  much  as  two  ounces  are 
found.    An  ounce  may  be  considered  as  the  average  from  a  full- 
grown  animal ;  but  as  many  of  the  deer  are  killed  young,  the 
pods  in  the  market  do  not  perhaps  contain,  on  an  average,  more 
than  half  an  ounce.    Though  not  so  strong,  the  musk  of  young 
animals  has  a  much  pleasanter  smell  than  that  of  old  ones  ;  but 
