Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 40.djvu/380

366 ox, however, does not seem to rely greatly on keenness of sight, far less on acuteness of hearing, for the ears are of small dimensions, and are completely covered by the heavy growth of fur about them. The organs of scent are evidently more highly developed, and they exact of the hunter his greatest cunning. Vasey says the hoof-prints resemble those of the barren-ground caribou so closely as to easily deceive the unaccustomed eye, and concludes a short description of the under parts of the foot with the illustration here reproduced. The external hoof is rounded, the internal pointed.

Much diversity of opinion exists as to the size and weight of the animal, and it is evident some statements have been made from very limited observation. Richardson compares the size of the musk ox to that of a Shetland pony, while others assert the dimensions to be quite equal to those of the bison; and whereas the weight has been given as from three to four hundred pounds in the one case, other records claim twice and even three times these figures as the weight of an adult specimen. The addition of from three to six inches of fur on the back, with hair flowing from the flanks to the length of from eighteen to twenty-four inches, gives an appearance vastly different from that of the bison, and the disproportionate shortness of the legs also tends to mislead; but, notwithstanding this, the measurements of the skin show the animal to be almost as large as the bison or buffalo, hence the latter approximation of weight is more correct.

In connection with the color of the hair, it should be observed that, while the summer pelage is usually brownish and corresponds with the descriptions generally given, in winter the animal's covering is a rich black on the head and shoulders, flanks and tail, the color shading beautifully into the milky-white disk on the back, known as the "saddle," while the face and the legs are prettily relieved with the whitish color.

The musk ox is gregarious, and although all early statements agree in estimating the herds as composed of from twenty to fifty individuals, later information greatly increases these figures, and frequent mention is made of herds numbering from two hundred to five hundred.