550 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSOlSTIAISr IISrSTITTJTTON', 1917. 



of humps on the back. It was early domesticated by the natives of 

 South America and two general types or breeds have been evolved — 

 the domestic llama, kept chiefly as a beast of burden ; and the alpaca, 

 bred for its woollike coat. The wild guanacos are of uniform colora- 

 tion but the domestic llama and alpaca are variegated brown, white, 

 and black, or of solid colors. 



All of the forms of the llama breed freely in the National Zoologi- 

 cal Park, and the young are graceful, attractive animals, much 

 admired by visitors. 



The vicuiia {Lama vicugna) is a smaller species than the guanaco, 

 with a distribution limited to the higher Andes of Bolivia, Ecuador, 

 and Pera. It has never been domesticated, but the animals in the 

 park have been gentle and do not seem to suffer from confinement in 

 small yards. With the llama already in use and bred into different 

 varieties, there was little reason for special effort by the natives to 

 add this high mountain species to their list of domestic stock. 



THE DEER PADDOCKS. 



No less than 15 species of the deer family (Cervidse) are usually 

 shown in the National Zoological Park. Deer are attractive exhibi- 

 tion animals and with proper care do very well in captivity. It is 

 often possible to show small breeding herds in large open paddocks 

 where the animals present a natural and pleasing appearance. 



The members of the deer family are of special interest to sports- 

 men, and to the average visitor are a never ceasing source of wonder 

 on account of the annual shedding of the antlers. Thase antlers 

 are present in the males of most of the species of true Cervidee, and 

 are well developed in the females of the caribou and reindeer. They 

 are dropped annually after the rutting season, and during renewal 

 are covered with the "velvet" which is later worn off when the 

 antlers are polished by the animals' rubbing them against trees 

 and rocks. The growth of the new antlers is astonishingly rapid 

 and in Siberia the maral, or native elk, is kept in large numbers for 

 the antlers alone. These are sawed off while in the velvet and shipped 

 in great quantities to Mongolia and China where they bring good 

 prices for medicinal purposes. 



The most stately and conspicuous of the American deer is the 

 wapiti or American elk {Gervns canadensis). Although less in size 

 than the moose he is of more graceful and handsome proportions. 

 This fine animal once ranged over much of the United States but 

 is now restricted to a few localities where the species has been care- 

 fully preserved. The greatest numbers are to be found in the 

 Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding country, whence 

 numbers have in j-ecent years been shipped into several Eastern 



