Charlevoix county herald., 1912-04-27

hcan bison. The coat of the muskox is dark um-
Der in color, and in places even black but that
Of the leg and Saddle" however is so much
lighter as to appear in contrast with the rest
OF its fur as almost buff The hair OF the name
and back is decidedly woolly, but the rest OF its
coat falls in thick folds of hair sometimes almost
completely obscuring it's legs and reaching to the
ground SO heavy is this coat that the ears and
tail, and often the base of the horns are COM
pietely hidden by it. Beneath this hairlike coat
is OF WOOL somewhat OF a light chocolate
o color The greater development OF the fore quar-
-ters particularly in the bull is so marked that
when OF these fully grown beasts advances
+ovards the hunter it may readily be mistaken
for two animals walking in close proximity. The
muskox is quite short limbed, massive and stubby
in build, and in the spring the grotesqueness OF
Its appearance Is more greatly enhanced by the
masses OF wool that cling to the hair and which
it is at that time shedding.
One Of the characteristic features of this anil
NAL is the development of it's horns In the ma
'tured animal these are joined to the skull top
and almost at the rear. They wide and
peculiarly rough at the base the uneven rough
ness gradually forming regular uniform ridges
where the horns curve in towards the skull,
1irally assuming almost polished smoothness
sas they taper to a point and turn upward. If
Zine were drawn from the point Of one horn to
that of the other, IL would be found to pass just
before the eyes The horns are generally about
% inches in length, but there are many cases
where they have measured much as 81. Those
Of the bull are much more heavy and massive
than those OF the and almost joined at
the base. The horns are yellowish white in
color with the exception OF the tips which are
black The hoofs OF the muskox are quite small
when compared with those OF the caribou. rea-
lively considering the weights of the animals.
They admirably adapted TO ASSIST the animal
in crossing icy surfaces. having a considerable
growth of hair between the hoofs which undoubt-
edly has the same function that the under
Of Of tha pola hear
During the long Arctic winter the muskox
@oams at large over the snow-coVered barren
wastes that It inhabits. frequenting those parts
where It can best obtain the few lichens and
scanty MOSES that form its sustenance and
which II RECEIVERS by removing the great depth OF
snow with its hoofs. At this time of the year. the
muskoxen assemble in herds, much that they
might hudde together for protection during the
great billiards. and better TO repel the attacks OF
-he then almost starving Arctic wolves, prac-
lically their sole enemy, from which by this and
other tactics they able to ward off the attacks
of wild beasts. As was the case with the Amer
tcan bison and the buffalo wolf. the young and
inexperienced, the aged outcast and the diseased.
however fall an easy prey TO the hungry lurkers.
The muskox runs swiftly, but maintain
gallop for but short time. when. turning about.
Il faces fits pursuer. forming into a long line II
attacked from but point and into a circle IL
from several With glaring eyes and paving
hopfs It awaits the approach of the intruder. when
apparently having sufficiently rechperated from
the exertion It again gallops of. only to make
ruother stand farther But ordinary man
can soon exhaust them by repeatedly putting
them 10 flight. However the muskox does not
always fly az the approach OF man. and in mute
stupidity a whole herd will stand In line and
allow themselves TO be shot down by a single
Renter who will have no difficulty in securing