NOTES UPON THE CAMEL, 



COLLECTED FROM 



REPORTS UPON THE USE OF THI^ CAMEL IN ALGIERS' 



BY 



GENERAL J. L. CARBUCCIA, OF THE FRENCH ARMY, 



The letter of General E. Daumas, directeur des affaires de VAlgerie, 

 d:c., upon the acclimation of -the camel in France: hy Albert Ray, 

 late pack-mule train and wagon master in the United States army, 

 and attached to the camel expedition under Major Henry G. Wayne, 

 United States army. U. S. ship Supply, September, 1855. 



PROPAGATION. 



Stud camels are never employed as beasts of burden. They should 

 be, as much as possible of a uniform color, either exclusively black, 

 white, bay, &c., with eyes large and black. They should be high 

 statured, well limbed, with hump large^ neck long, and chest wide 

 and deep, this last quality is indispensable. Before the stud camel 

 is used for propagation, he must have given proof in several journeys 

 of his strength and vigor, and especially of his powers of abstinence. 



GESTATION AND PARTURITION. 



The female camel goes with young twelve months, and gives 

 birth about the end of winter. They are at this period treated with 

 great care and attention, the poor only loading and using them as 

 usual, and even then ceasing to do so, at least, one month prior to 

 delivery. The young born in the first month of spring will live, 

 those born after this period, or in summer or autumn, will most likely 

 die. The principal imperfections of the camel consist in the malcon- 

 formation of the humps and of the sternum ; irregularity of gait is 

 caused by the same defects in the shoulders and the hind legs. The 

 Arabs say that one year after the female has received the stud, day 

 for day, she is delivered. When " enciente" the female is called 

 " legaa;" sometimes the female is lightly loaded to the day of her 

 delivery. 



