



LLAMA. 



.LLAMA. 



IH 



1 Jana, on account of iU similitude to UK wild animal which is named 

 lltuuucu, and from which it differ* in colour only; for the domestic 

 Uama* (domestkum peciu) are found of various colour*, like the 

 hone ; but the wild Llama U only of on* colour, like chestnut The 

 greater kind hTe a great resemblance to a Camel, except that they 

 want the hump, and are not so large. The imall kiud (minus pecus) 

 they call Paoc- Llama, aad thu U only fed for U fle*h and its wool, 

 which U the beat and longest, aa it U unequal to the carrying of 

 bunion*. 



De Laet then tonu to Acorta. " Peru," says the Utter, " has 

 nothing better or more useful than iU cattle, which our countrymen 

 call Peruriaa sheep, but which the Peruvians, in their tongue, name 

 Llama; for they bring large profit, and are kept for next to nothing 

 (riUsnmo aJitur). Three cattle furnuh the natives with wool for their 

 vestments, like our sheep, and are used by them as beasts of burden. 

 There is no necessity fur shoeing them, guiding them by a rein, or 

 feeding them with oat*; for these animals serve their masters gratui- 

 tously, being content with the wild herbs which they meet with 

 everywhere. There are two kinds (species) one which is woolly and 

 called Paco by the natives, the other covered with a slight fleece (villia 

 levibus) only, and nearly naked, whence it is more fitted for carrying 

 burdens, called Quanaco. They are rather larger than sheep, but 

 IMS than heifer*, with a long neck like camels, lofty legs, and a com- 

 pact body : the colour is various, for some are white, some black, 

 some brown, and some piebald (venicolores), which they call Moromori. 

 Their flesh U good, although rather gross (spissior), but that of the 

 lambs U much the best and the most delicate ; but they are rarely 

 killed, because they are of by far greater use as beasts of burden, and 

 their wool serves for making cloth. This wool the barbarians clean, 

 spin, and weave into garments ; but it is of two sorts, one coarser and 

 more common, which they call Havasca, the other finer and more 

 loose (absolutior), which they call Cumbi (according to Garcilasso, 

 Compi) : from this hut they weave various curtains and hangings 

 (aulea et peristromata) of most elegant workmanship, which last a 

 long time, and in splendour do not yield to silk ; nay, what is wonder- 

 ful for barbarians, they are so neat in their weaving that the elegance 

 is nearly equal throughout, nor is the web or woof ever apparent. 

 The ancient Peruvian rnonarchs kept up many works for weaving 

 Cumbi, the principal artificers in which lived at Capachica, on the 

 banks of the Lake Titicaca. These wools they dyed with the juice of 

 various herbs, according as the nature of the work required. But 

 most of the Peruvian barbarians are cunning in this weaving, and 

 have in their huts instruments adapted for the art ; and from these 

 sheep they draw most of the neoessaries of human life. By far the 

 greatest use of these animals however is in carrying burdens ; for 

 sometimes 300, sometimes a drove of 1000, carry various articles of 

 merchandise, skin* of wine, chocolate (cocam), maize, Chunno, and 

 quicksilver to Potosi and the other mines and towns." Acosta then 

 peaks of their employment in conveying silver from Potosi, Ac., and 

 observe* that he ha* often wondered how droves of these animals, 

 sometimes consisting of 1000, sometimes of two only, and not un- 

 freqnently laden with 3000 ban or plate* (Uunintc) of silver, worth 

 8000 ducats, should make their way, accompanied by a few barbarians 

 only, who direct them, and load and unload their burdens, and hardly 

 attended by one or two Spaniards, passing the night in the open air and 

 without a guard and that so safely that a bar is scarcely ever missed, 

 such is the security of travelling in Peru. " The burden of each beast," 

 continues Acosta, "amounts to 100 Ibs. and sometimes 160 Ibs., which 

 they carry three or at the most four leagues a day, according to the 

 length of the journey. But their leaden know their stations, where food 

 and water for their cattle abound ; here they pitch their tents, and 

 unk*d their beasU. When however they have only one day's journey 

 to nuke, the Lhuns* are able to bear a load of even 200 Ibs., or to 

 move forward ss many as eight or ten leagues. These animals rejoice 

 rather in a cool than in a fervid temperature, and therefore they are 

 propagated immensely in the mountain), whilst they fail in the plains, 

 on account of the too gnat heat The bald sheep (calvum pecus), 

 or Quaoacoe*. are of a fawning (vernile) and gentle aspect : often, as 

 they walk along, they stop and regard the passers-by without any 

 expression of fear or plca.utr, so attentively with erected neck, that 

 it Is difficult to abstain from laughter ; sometimes they are so suddenly 

 terrified, that they run off to the mountain precipices with the 



Ctest swiftness, so that it is necessary to shoot them to save their 

 s. The Paooes also become *o enraged sometime*, or are so wearied 

 with their burdens, that they lie down with their burdens, and can- 

 not be nude to rise either by threats or blow* ; whence a proverb has 

 risen, and stubborn or obstinate men are said to be Impacato*. For 

 this there U no better remedy than for the conductor to stop and sit 

 down by (he animal, until by his blandishment* he prevail* on the 

 animal to rite spouUaeouilr." 



It further appears that the Llamas are nibject to scab, called by the 

 barbarian* ' caracben,' which 1s deadly not only to the animal which 

 lias Uken it, but spread* by contagion among the flock, so that almost 

 the only remedy is immediately to bury the dscessed animal Oarcilawo 

 however mentions other remedies : the moet powerful is stated to be 

 very simple one, namely, anointing the affected parts with lard 

 (adip* suilla). The price of a Llama varies in different provinces ; but 

 the barbarian who poateeee* two or three is considered sufficiently 



rich. Oarcilanso adds that the Peruvians, before the arrival of the 

 Spaniards, did not milk their flocks, which give that secretion \ rv 

 sparingly, and only in sufficient quantity for their young ; neither did 

 they make cheese* of their milk. 



De Laet then proceeds to state, that besides these domestic herds, 

 Peru produces certain wild animals which are not easily to be seen in 

 other parts of the New World, except in the neighbouring country of 

 Chili Some of these are called Quanaco, or Haunacu, from a simili- 

 tude to which the domestic kinds obtained the same name. The flesh 

 of these is good, according to Garcilaaso, but not so good as that of the 

 domestic Haunacu Llamas. The males keep a look-out on the highest 

 hills whilst the females are feeding in the valleys; and when the 

 former observe the approach of men from afar they neigh almost like 

 a hone to worn the females. If the men come nearer they flee, driving 

 the females before them. The wool of these is short and rough, but 

 it is notwithstanding used by the barbarians for making cloth. Theee 

 animals are taken in snares and nooses. Others again are called 

 Vicunas : these are not very unlike goats, except that they have no 

 horns, and are larger, and are of a leonine colour or more ruddy ; 

 these live in the highest mountains or groves, and love the colder 

 regions, but especially the solitudes which the Peruvians designate by 

 the common name of Punas ; neither ore they annoyed by snow or 

 frost, but are rather recreated thereby. They go in flocks, and run 

 most swiftly. Such ia their timidity, that at the sight of men or wild 

 beasts they hurry instantly iuto inaccessible or hidden fastnesses. 

 There were formerly a great number of these animals here, but they 

 are now become much more rare on account of the promiscuous licence 

 in hunting. Their wool is very fine, and like silk, or rather like the 

 wool of the Beaver, and the natives deservedly estimate it highly : 

 for besides other properties, it is also said to resist the heat and 

 impart coolness, whence it ia especially used for caps. Next to these 

 come the Tarugas, or Tarucas, which are larger and more swift than 

 the Vicunas, and of a more burnt colour, with pendulous and light 

 ears : they rarely collect in herd*, and generally wander about the 

 precipices singly. Garcilasso says that these are a species of Deer, but 

 less than those of Europe. They were innumerable in the time of 

 the Yncas, so that they entered the very towns ; nor was there any 

 deficiency of their fawns and does. Thus far De Laet, who says that 

 all these animals produce bezoar stones, of which those of the Pacoes 

 and Guauacoes ore the smallest and lowest in estimation, whilst those 

 from the Vicunas are rather larger and better, and those of the 

 Tarugas the best of all. 



We now turn to Hernandez. We find in the Roman edition (fol. 

 1651) a figure of the Pelon Ichiatl Oquitli, Ovit Peruviana, with a 

 description. Both figure and description leave no doubt that the 

 Brown Llama is the animal represented. There is a very long com- 

 mentary, well worth the attention of the curious reader. Of this 

 'Aria sive Ovit Peruviana.,' two kinds are mentioned : the first like 

 the animal represented ; the other small and stunted (porva; et 

 pygmies), with short legs, but strong and able to carry domestic 

 burdens, such as water, corn, &c. Another kind, the Pacoes, are stated 

 not to be so corpulent. In the catalogue of Hernandez the IVlou 

 Ichiatl Oquitli is called Peruichatl. 



Morcgrave gives a figure of the long-wooled and larger Llama, 

 undi-r the name of Ovi-Camelus. In some parts it is not bod ; in 

 others, the muzzle and fore feet for instance, it is monstrous. He says 

 that the larger kind of Ovi-Camelus is called Paco. His description 

 is worth consulting ; and he says, among other statements, that they 

 bore the ean of these 'sheep,' and run ropes through them, by which 

 their masters manage them and lead them where they please. He 

 then gives another figure, much better executed than the other, of a 

 second species, which is nearly naked in regard to fleece, and is only 

 covered by a light and short one (calvum pecus of De Laet ?) ; and 

 says that it partly resembles a camel and partly a deer, so that it 

 might be well called in Greek Ao^oKd/niAor. 



We gather then from those and other early writers that there were 

 three kinds of these animals Guanacoes or Huanacoes, Pacoes, and 

 Vicunas the term Llama being applicable to each of them, and merely 

 signifying cattle or sheep, but these kinds are by no means clearly 

 defined. " Until the lost half century," says Mr. Bennett, " the great 

 majority of naturalists, including Kay, Klein, Briason, and Linmuus, 

 concurred in reducing them to two species the Llama, or Guanaco, 

 commonly used a* a beast of burden ; and the Paco, or Vicugna, culti- 

 vated for it* flesh and its wool. Of this opinion was Bufibn when he 

 wrote the history of the Llama and the Paco ; but the observation of 

 living specimens of the Llama and the Vicugna, and the communi- 

 cations of the Abbd Bvlianly on the subject, induced him afterwards 

 to admit the latti-r animal on a third species distinct from the precciling. 

 In this he was followed by Molina, who, in his ' Natural History of 

 Chili,' separated also the Quanaco, and added a fifth species, the 

 Hueque, or Chilian sheep of the older authors. Qmeliu, Shaw, and 

 almost every subsequent compiler, have adopted these five species 

 without examination, giving to them such synonyms as they could 

 pick up almont imlincriminately from the writers on the natural his- 

 tory of America, and thus creating a mass of confusion which it would 

 be both vain and useless to attempt to unravel" (' Gardens and 

 Menagerie of the Zoological Society.') 



Peuuaut give* a* species the Llama, the Vicuna, the Paco, the 



