DIET, AND POWERS OF ABSTINENCE. 85 



ders, and, in spite of your most urgent persua- 

 sives, browses at his leisure. 



Burckhardt, 1 and I think Denham, state, that 

 the African camel is prepared for long journeys 

 by cramming him beforehand by actual force, for 

 several days in succession, with three times his 

 usual allowance of dhourra meal, 2 but Father 

 Hue and Timkovski declare that the Bactrian is 

 hardened for the task by several days of previous 

 abstinence, or at least sparing nourishment. 



When herbage and browse are altogether 

 wanting, a small quantity of beans, a few hand- 

 fuls of dates or even date-stones, crushed, or 

 barely softened by soaking in water, 3 a bah 1 or 

 two of dough of barley-meal, dhourra millet, or 

 other grain, or a small supply of some dry vege- 

 table are given each camel daily. According to 

 Edrisi, they are sometimes fed with dried fish. 

 Denham says they are fond of "crunching" dry 

 bones, and Riley even declares that he sometimes 

 saw them fed with charcoal. The favorite food 

 of the camel consists of the leaves, branches, 



1 Nubia, 157. 



2 Pottinger says that the Belooches thrust a ball of coarse 

 meal and water as large as a child's head into the throat of 

 their dromedaries, and a similar statement is made by 

 Kampfer. Ritter, Erdkunde, xnr. 651. 



3 Burckhardt, Arabia, 356. Denham and Clapperton, in. 

 c. 3, observe that eating dates after drinking intoxicates 

 camels. 



