3oo 



L'XGULATA 



particular species or variety of the group, and sometimes used in a 

 generic sense to cover the whole. Although they were often com- 

 pared by early writers to sheep, and spoken of as such, their affinity 

 to the camel was very soon perceived, and they were included in 

 the genus Camelus in the Systema Nature? of Linnaeus. They were, 

 however, separated by Cuvier in 1800 under the name of Lama, 

 changed by Illiger in 1811 to Auchenia (in allusion to the great 

 length of neck, avxrjv), a term afterwards adopted by Cuvier, and 

 almost universally accepted by systematic zoologists, although there 

 has been of late a disposition to revive the earlier name. 



In essential structural characters, as well as in general appear- 

 ance and habits, all the animals of this genus very closely resemble 

 each other, so that the question as to whether they should be 

 considered as belonging to one, two, or more species has been one 

 which has led to a large amount of controversy among naturalists. 

 The question has been much complicated by the circumstances of 

 the great majority of individuals which have come under observa- 

 tion being either in a completely or partially domesticated state, 

 and descended from ancestors which from time immemorial have 

 been in like condition, one which always tends to produce a certain 

 amount of variation from the original type. It has, however, lost 

 much of its importance since the doctrine of the distinct origin of 

 species has been generally abandoned. 



The four forms commonly distinguished by the inhabitants of 



South America are recog- 

 naturalists 



nised by some 

 as distinct species, and have 

 had specific designations 

 attached to them, though 

 usually with expressions of 

 doubt, and with great diffi- 

 culties in defining their dis- 

 tinctive characteristics. 

 These are (1) the Llama, 

 Auchenia glama (Linn.), or 

 Lama peruana (Tiedemann) ; 

 (2) the Alpaca, A. pacos 

 Linn.) ; (3) the Guanaco or 

 Huanaco, A. hmnaous (Mo- 

 lina) ; and (4) the Vicugna, 

 A. vicugna (Molina), or A. 

 vicunna, (Cuv.) The first 

 and second are only known in the domestic state, and are variable 

 in size and colour, being often white, black, or piebald. The third 

 and fourth are wild, and of a nearly uniform light-brown colour, 

 passing into white below. They certainly differ from each other, 



Fin. 116, — Head of Vicugna, from an animal living 

 in the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London. 



