248 CERVID^. 



The Llamas of South America have their toes divided, are of smaller 

 size, and lighter make, than camels. There are two wild species, Auchenia 

 llnma and A. vicunna; and two domestic races, the llama and alpaca, the 

 latter with long woolly hair. 



The other families of ruminants constitute the Pecora of Blyth and 

 others. They comprise the Camelopardidoi, Cervidce, Moschidm, and 

 Bovidce. The Giraffe, Camelopardus giraffa, L., is the only species of 

 the CameJojyardidce. It is a native of Africa, with the dentition of 

 deer, but with permanent short horns in both sexes, covered with a 

 hairy skin, and without any accessory hoofs. The neck is immensely 

 long, its fore-legs are dispi'oportionately long, and it has a moderately 

 long tail, ending in a tuft of long black hair. 



Fara. Cervid^, the Deer tribe. 

 Elaphi, Van der Hoeven ; Cervhui, Gray. Horns usually in the 



males only, deciduous ; incisors — apparently — ; canines present occa- 



6 8 



sionally in the upper jaw. 



Deer are remarkable for their fine horns, or osseous prominences, which 

 are shed and renewed annually, more or less cotemporaneously with the 

 renewal of the hair, and ai'e called antlers. In the reindeer alone of all 

 the family the females possess horns normally, though very rarely old and 

 barren females of other species have been known to assume them. 



The feet touch the gi'ound only at the exti-emity of the two pi-incipal 

 toes, and there are usually two rudimentary toes with small hoofs at the 

 back of the foot. The end of the muzzle is bare in almost all deer, and 

 is sometimes called the muffle. Eye-pits, or so-called lachrymal sinuses, 

 are constantly present, but inguinal or groin-pits are vague or wanting. 

 There are one or two glands, covered with a small tuft of hair, on the 

 hind-leg (metatarsus), the presence of which, in some cases at least, 

 furnishes a good character to distinguish females of this family from 

 hornless female antelopes : there are feet-pits also, either in all four 

 feet, or only in the hind-feet. The female has four teats, and the gall- 

 bladder is absent. 



The metacai-pus and metatarsus have each two "splint bones," 

 attached to which are two small digits, each consisting of three pha- 

 langeal bones. 



When the horns first appear they are covered with a hairy skin, com- 



