lines converge inferiorly, covered with short fine hair ; no glands on the
face ; probably two teats' in the female; 1 ears short and thickly haired ;
tail very short and rudimentary, entirely concealed amid the long hair
of the hind-quarters; main hoofs large, flattened, broad, and slightly
unsymmetrical, the outer one being more rounded and the inner one more
pointed ; lateral hoofs also large ; under surface of feet partially covered
with hair between the hoofs. Horns present in both sexes, much larger
in the male than in the female ; those of the former more or less approximated
at the bases, arising close to the occiput, and when adult extending
nearly to the sockets of the eyes, expanded and flattened at the bases, where
they are marked by coarse longitudinal groovings, at the tips smoother,
their curvature outwards, or outwards and then downwards at first ; those*
of female always widely separated at the bases, situated midway between
the occiput and the upper border of the sockets of the eyes, so as to leave a
broad parietal zone above them, nearly cylindrical throughout the greater
part of their length. Pelage long and shaggy ; and general coloration
nearly uniform. Upper molar teeth with tall but comparatively narrow
crowns, on the inner side of which there-is no distinct additional column.
Skull without either pits or fissures below the eyes ; the sockets of the
eyes greatly produced and tube-like; the premaxillae. separated from the
nasal bones, which are short and wide ; and a distinct, broad parietal zone
on the anterior aspect above the frontal bones. Cannon-bones short and
stout, as in the oxen.
In young musk-oxen the horns are in the form of simple spikes
growing straight out from the sides' of the head, and widely separated at
their bases on the forehead, which is thickly haired.
The true relationships of the musk-oxen are still far from clearly
ascertained. At one time they were regarded as intermediate between the
oxen and the sheep, while at a later period they were considered to be
1 I have been unable to ascertain the number.
more nearly related to the latter, which they approach in the structure
of their molar teeth and hairy muzzles. The rudimentary condition of
the tail, which is shorter than in any of the sheep, widely separates them
from the oxen ; but, on the other hand, their short and wide cannon-bones
are Similar to those of the latter animals and quite different to the corresponding
bones of the sheep and goats. From the study of fossil forms
Mr. Rhoads has been led to suggest the existence of a transition between
the musk-oxen and the bison, but the structure of the molar teeth and
the rudimentary tail seem to negative any near relationship between the
two groups. Some years ago Prof. A. Milne-Edwards suggested an
affinity between the present genus and the Tibetan takin (Budorcas), and
the two genera were subsequently placed in juxtaposition by the late
Prof. Riitimeyer. The idea of this latter relationship has recently been
developed by Dr. Matschie, who regards the two genera as forming a
sub-family by themselves, the Ovibovina. As indications of their mutual
affinity, he notices the short and broad front cannon-bones, the structure
b f the skull and form' of the horns, the small ears, the hairy muzzle,
the short tail, the clumsy main hoofs, and the large size of the lateral
pair.
As regards the horns, the structure of the sheaths is quite different in
the two, and I cannot see that such resemblance as exists in their form
and curvature is likely to be anything more than superficial. The skull
of Budorcas lacks the projecting tubular orbits of the musk-oxen.
The form of the cannon-bones equally affiliates the present genus to
the oxen ; and the characters of the ears, tail, and hoofs I cannot regard
as of much classificatory value.
Mr. Blanford has placed Budorcas in the neighbourhood of the serows
{Nemorhcedus), and at present I fail to see any sufficient reason for departing
from this arrangement. This leaves Ovibos without any near existing
relatives, and since palaeontology throws no light on the subject, it must