Cover of some sort, bushes or timber, seems necessary for it, and the want of this is probably the reason it does not extend to Ladak. Except that district, every shooting ground of the right elevation seems to hold musk deer; and as, particularly in the autumn, they are excellent eating, a chance with a light rifle is well worth taking advantage of, unless in too close proximity to better game. The musk deer has no horns, but the male has two delicate curved tushes, growing down from the upper jaw, which are often over three inches in length outside the gums; these tushes being the only distinguishing mark between the sexes, it is very hard to tell them apart at a distance.

Measurements

AuthorityHeight at shoulderLength nose to tip of tailTailGirth of bodyWeight as shotLength of hornsGirth above brow antlerGirth, beam midwayBurrLength brow antlerLength bez antlerGirth bez antlerLength median antlerSplay at tipsWidest spreadInside spanPointsRemarks
Cervus cashmirianus
ins.ins.ins.ins.lbs.ins.ins.ins.ins.ins.ins.ins.ins.ins.ins.ins.ins.
Dr. Leith Adams..........48......................Sterndale, ‘Mammalia’
Major Ward..........477¾............2956..13‘Sportsman’s Guide’
”49½......400........................”
Sir E. G. Loder, Bart...........476¾............21¾..36⅜5×5Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
Major Ward..........468............3250..12‘Sportsman’s Guide’
‘Oriental Sporting Magazine,’ 1870..........46..71018..............
Sir V. Brooke..........45⅝6............25¾..368×8Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
Hume Collection, British Museum..........45⅞8............35..416×6”
Hon. C. Ellis..........43⅞5⅞............15⅞..325×5”
”..........43⅜6½............25⅜..36½..”
Hume Collection, British Museum..........43¼6½............18⅛..34½5×5”
Dr. Falconer, Brit. Mus...........435⅞............6¼..27¾5×5”
Mr. M. Kennard..........435⅞............26⅛..37⅞6×5”
Gen. Macintyre..........42..7¼10½....5½......3310‘Hindu Koh’
British Museum..........425⅞............29⅜..33½6×5Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
Major Greenaway5281..............................
The Writer4785............................10Showing normal difference between brow & bez antlers
”..........36¾....811¼14½....2535..10
”..........35½5½..810½15½......35..10
Sterndale, ‘Mammalia’48 to 5284 to 905............................
Average of good head..........376..................6×6
Cervus affinis
Mr. A. O. Hume..........55¾6½............17¼..40⅜7×6Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
British Museum..........55¼8½7¼111419¼..........5×5
Lord Northbrook..........559⅛..................6×7Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
Dr. Campbell, British Museum..........54⅜6⅝............21⅝..37¼5×5”
Dr. Jerdon quotes a head..........54........12..8..47....Sterndale, ‘Mammalia’
Mr. B. H. Hodgson, British Museum..........53¾6⅞............26⅛..445×5Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
Hume Collection, British Museum..........53¼6⅞............30..45¾4×5”
Col. Tanner..........539................405×5”
British Museum..........52¼10¼6½10⅛1213..........5×5”
Rowland Ward..........528....................Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
”about 60................................
Sterndale, ‘Mammalia’54 to 60about 96..............................
Cervus maral
British Museum..........48⅝6⅛............38¼..40⅞6×5Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
”..........46½87½11¼15½14½..........5×5
Mr. E. Buxton..........43½................38½..14‘Nineteenth Century,’ 1891
Hume Collection, British Museum..........40¼5½............23¾..31¾5×5Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
”..........35⅛5½............19¾..265×5”
Major Cumberland55....57½........................10‘Land & Water,’ 1891
Cervus Eustaphanus
Mr. Blanford, ‘Scientific Results, Second Yarkand Mission’..........5110⁹⁄₁₀....................Girth above burr 10½ ins.
Red Deer from Tyrol, &c.
Lord Powerscourt, ‘Pro. Zoo. Soc., 1862’..........68................65..44From Carpathians? Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
Col. Howard..........49¾..7½11¼18¼........49¾..14Vienna Exhibition
H.R.H. Duke of Edinburgh..........48½..6..........3041½..5×6(Crimea) Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
Lord A. Hay, British Museum..........48⅛..7¼................12Single horn, Asia Minor, Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
St. George Littledale..........47⅝..5½..........38....6×5Caucasus, Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
Col. Howard..........47¼..7½10¾15........50..16Vienna Exhibition
Sir V. Brooke..........47⅛..7¼..........34..41⅛8×9Germany, Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
St. George Littledale..........47..7⅛..........36..37¾6×7Caucasus, Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
Col. Howard........596........................Weight of best stags killed in last 8 or 10 years, from Perechinko
”........564........................” Munkacs
”........544........................” Pomerania
”........544........................” Bukowina
”........540........................” Munkacs
”........540........................” Sieben Bergen
”........516........................” East Prussia
”........508........................” Lower Austria
”........500........................” Slavonia

The hair of the musk deer seems always loose, and comes out readily. A musk deer just grazed by a bullet (by no means an uncommon occurrence with so small a beast) seems to vanish in a cloud of hair. The male has an abdominal gland containing more or less musk according to the season, it being fullest during the rutting season in the winter; this pod is valuable (a good one is worth Rs. 5 in the jungle), and leads to the musk deer being so mercilessly snared and hunted by natives that in many districts they are almost extinct. Pine martens, wild dogs, leopards, eagles, all seem to prey upon the unhappy musk deer, and if it were not that they breed far more rapidly than other deer (according to Hodgson being able to procreate before they are a year old), they would have no chance of existence at all.

When a musk deer has been killed the pod should be cut off in the presence of the sportsman, and hung up in his tent to dry; if the shikari is allowed to meddle with it, he will probably extract the musk, and fill up the pod with rubbish. Another very common trick is for the shikari to present his master with the buck’s scrotum, and keep the pod for himself.

Musk deer are generally found alone or in pairs, and as they keep a great deal to their particular bit of ground, if one has been seen and not fired at the sportsman may nearly always rely upon finding it again near the same place. When startled this deer gives a low hiss, and as it seldom runs far without stopping to gaze, it generally affords an easy shot. Musk deer are occasionally a nuisance on barasingh ground, and the writer once lost a shot by putting up one of them just as he was getting up to a stag which was calling in the forest.

Measurements.—Sterndale gives length about 36 ins., height about 22 ins. Major Ward, height about 22 ins., weight from 25 lbs. to 30 lbs. Colonel Kinloch says it does not stand more than 20 ins., Jerdon 22 or 23 ins.

In Garwhal and Kumaon musk deer appear to be bigger and heavier than in Cashmere.

XXX. BARKING, OR RIB-FACED DEER