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THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM 



first time is an experience not easily forgotten. Mr. Shepstone 

 says — ■ 



"There is no doubt that Arabs can do more with Camels than 

 Europeans. This is because they understand their ways and 

 peculiarities. The animals are certainly stubborn and cannot be 

 hurried. The proverb about the last straw breaking the Camel's 

 back is no fictiort. Place a burden which is in the least degree too 

 heavy upon a Camel's back and wild horses will not persuade it to 

 get up, let alone start upon its journey. Then it is not a creature 

 blessed with too much intelligence and is inclined to be stupid. 

 Again, it must be left to fix its own pace while on the march. For 

 these reasons the Government now, when they requisition the 

 services of Camels for transport work in hot countries, use native 

 drivers. In the Afghan War we lost, it is stated, 20,000 of these 

 useful beasts because we did not understand how to manage them. 

 In the more recent Somaliland campaign Somalis were put in charge 

 of the Camels. They understood them, sang to them as they marched 

 along, and the results were most gratifying." 



HUANACO, OR GUANACO.— The Huanaco (Fig. 198) belongs to 

 the genus of New World Camels which includes, in addition to the 

 present species, the Llama, Alpaca and Vicuna (Fig. 199). None 

 of these possess the hump of the Camels of the Old World last 

 under consideration, and Figs. 198 and 199 will at once show that 

 they are of lighter build, smaller size, but in other respects akin. 

 Their habits are, however, entirely different, for instead of inhabit- 

 ing flat sandy deserts, they are natives of lofty mountainous regions. 

 Having, unlike the Old World Camels, two sharp, hard hoofs 

 instead of small nails, they are enabled to traverse precipitous 

 regions where the Old World Camel would not dare to tread, even 

 if it could obtain a foothold, and have been compared as little 

 inferior to the Chamois in regard to their agility. 



The Huanaco is the ancestor of the Llama and the Alpaca, the 

 Peruvians having domesticated the wild beast aforementioned, and 

 producing from it the two animals referred to, the Llama serving 

 as a beast of burden, and the Alpaca being domesticated for the 

 purpose of providing the wool so well known as an article of com- 

 merce. Thus the Huanaco may be called the true Wild Llama, 

 for it is a wild and wary animal with a rough, short coat of a 

 brown colour. Its range extends through the Andes from the 

 Equator to Cape Horn. 



