115 



to have, during its service, suffered from spinal injury. Doubtless 

 overload and accidents give rise to such conditions much more 

 frequently than is generally supposed. 



Sprains (Lutchnk) of various kinds are frequent in old and 

 overworked camels, they are indicated by levelled legs (baed), 

 awollen joints, and stale action or actual lameness. Gilchrist 

 writes of sprained shoulder as Kutchwah, and Hodgson of atrophy 

 of limh muscles as Seemuck. These conditions ai*e generally 

 treated by firing. They result from false steps, work on slip- 

 pery ground, over-work and over-weighting, pi'emature work, 

 and so on ; they are tedious in treatment and necessitate pro- 

 longed rest. Laceration of the ham muscles inside the thigh is 

 especially frequent on service, the hind limbs being painfully and 

 sliarply diverged. Sprains in general are most frequent in the 

 hind limbs. 



Tumours: Fibroma is perhaps the most common form of hyper- 

 trophic growth. Tumours, however, seem to be rare in camel. 



Chapter XIV.— THE ORGANS OF SPECIAL SENSE. 



We have little to record under this heading. We have seen 

 how the ears are sometimes cut off as proof of death. The 

 conchial cartilage is small and short, which has been considered 

 to be a special provision against the entry of sand in desert 

 marches. Ear Canlcer is described by Byrne as rare but present- 

 ing the usual symptoms. 



The Eye is large and prominent and so is very apt to be 

 injured, especially by the end of tent poles as carried by the 

 camel in front. Rayment mentions Op)hthalmia as one of the 

 principal disorders treated by him among camels at Suakim in 

 1886. Bennett describes blindness as frequent in old camels. 



The Pedal Apparatus; The standing posture is pi uckily main- 

 tained by sick camels. The animal rests freely in the position of 

 decubitus, and is then described as couchant, camping, or sitting. 

 From this posture he rises, sometimes in the case of good riding 

 camels more sharply than the inexperienced rider anticipates, 

 with two consecutive and opposite upbearings. When the 

 camel is sitting he rests on the chest pad and belly, the trunk 



