68 THE CAMEL. 



dies," is declared to follow next after the sting of 

 the debab, as a source of mortality. The panacea 

 for most diseases, and even for the frenzy of the 

 male at the rutting season, is an external appli- 

 cation of tar, not that extracted from the pine, 

 which is said to have no medicinal properties, 

 but yielded by a native African plant called arar, 

 or tdga. 



The general testimony of observers is, that the 

 Arabian camel is liable to fewer diseases than 

 most domestic animals ; but the experience of 

 Burckhardt, of Harlan, and of Carbuccia, cer- 

 tainly strongly tends to show that this opinion 

 is not altogether sound. With the Bactrian, 

 however, the case is certainly otherwise ; and it 

 is abundantly shown that, at least in favorable 

 localities, he enjoys an almost complete exemp- 

 tion from the numerous maladies to which the 

 one-humped camel is subject. In reply to special 

 inquiries on this point, I am informed that almost 

 the only disease occurring among the Bactrians, 

 in Bessarabia, is a blistering of the tongue occa- 

 sioned by bad or decayed fodder, and sleeping on 

 damp and dirty ground. The soreness of the 

 tongue prevents the animal from eating, and he 

 pines away. The only known remedy is the 

 actual cautery. 



In connection with the hygiene of the camel, I 

 may mention the furious excitement of the male 



