Chap. XX. OF TRIFLING CHARACTERS. 193 



and Vicuna, found wild and undoubtedly distinct species ; 

 the Llama and Alpaca, known only in a domesticated con- 

 dition. These four animals appear so different, that most 

 naturalists, especially those who have studied these animals 

 in their native country, maintain that they are specifically 

 distinct, notwithstanding that no one pretends to have seen 

 a wild llama or alpaca. Mr. Ledger, however, who has closely 

 studied these animals both in Peru and during their exporta- 

 tion to Australia, and who has made many experiments on 

 their propagation, adduces arguments ^^ which seem to me 

 conclusive, that the llama is the domesticated descendant of 

 the guanaco, and the alpaca of the vicuna. And now that we 

 know that these animals were systematically bred and selected 

 many centuries ago, there is nothing surprising in the great 

 amount of change which they have undergone. 



It appeared to me at one time probable that, though 

 ancient and semi-civilised people might have attended to the 

 improvement of their more useful animals in essential points, 

 yet that they would have disregarded unimportant characters. 

 But human nature is the same throughout the world : fashion 

 everywhere reigns supreme, and man is apt to value whatever 

 he may chance to possess. We have seen that in South 

 America the niata cattle, which certainly are not made useful 

 by their shortened faces and upturned nostrils, have been 

 preserved. The Damaras of South Africa value their cattle for 

 uniformity of colour and enormously long horns. And I will 

 now show that there is hardly any peculiarity in our most 

 useful animals which, from fashion, superstition, or some 

 other motive, has not been valued, and consequently pre- 

 served. With respect to cattle, " an early record," according 

 to Youatt,^^ " speaks of a hundred white cows with red ears 

 " being demanded as a compensation by the princes of North 

 " and South AVales. If the cattle were of a dark or black 

 "colour, 150 were to be presented." So that colour was 

 attended to in Wales before its subjugation by England. In 

 Central Africa, an ox that beats the ground with its tail is 

 killed ; and in South Africa some of the Damaras will not eat 



« 'Bull, de la Soc. d'Acclimat.,' torn, vu., 1860, p. 457. «3 < Cattle,' p. 48. 



