THE FARMER AT HOME. 57 



brought up in a system of privation. When the time of trial has 

 elapsed, arid it is broke into subservience, it kneels at the command 

 of the master, who either mounts it himself or loads it with a heavy 

 burden ; and, trusting to its strength, and the privations it can sufler, 

 he ventures to traverse the trackless desert. 



The camel annually casts its hair in spring ; and in the space of 

 three days is as bare as a sucking pig. During that interval, the 

 keeper is careful to tar it over, in order to preserve it against the 

 annoyance of the flies. But the color and abundance of hair depend 

 entirely on the particular species of camel, and the climate which it 

 inhabits : that ol the Arabian Camel is thin and whitish ; that of 

 the Bactrian camel thicker and darker colored. From the hair a 

 coarse kind of clothing, almost impermeable by water, is made for 

 camel-drivers and shepherds ; and the same commodity, for an analo- 

 gous purpose, is used as wrappers of merchandise long exposed to wet 

 in heavy rains. But in Persia and the Crimea more valuable manu- 

 factures are produced in narrow cloths of different colors, and fine 

 utockings, of which white are the highest priced. It is wrought into 

 shawls, carpets, and coverings for the tents of the Arabs. According 

 to Pallas, the Tartar women of the plains manufacture a kind of 

 warm, soft, and light narrow cloth from the hair of the Bactrian or 

 Tauridan camel, preserving the natural color. The hair of different 

 colors is an article of export from Asia and Africa ; its value is pro- 

 portioned to the fineness and color, that which is black being the 

 dearest 



As Mahomet the prophet himself rode a camel, it is considered a 

 sacred animal in the east, nor will his votaries at all times admit of 

 its being devoted to the service of Christians. They seldom eat its 

 flesh themselves, not so much from entertaining any scruples on the 

 lawfulness of doing so, as from reluctance to sacrifice an animal so 

 valuable to them ; but where fanaticism prevails, selling it to Chris- 

 tians w r ould be deemed profanation. After the annual pilgrimage to 

 Mecca, the camel which carries the standard of Mahomet is ever after- 

 wards exempt from labor, and the Mahometans even believe that it 

 will participate in the pleasures of a future life. 



CAME LEON. A species of lizard, abounding in some parts of 

 Egypt. This creature, with its tail extended, is about fifteen inches 

 long. Its usual color is of a light green, though it varies its dye 

 according to that of whatever plant or flower the animal rests upon. 

 The cameleon devours prodigious quantities of flies ; but being very 

 slow and inactive, it would be impossible for him to take his prey, 

 had not nature taken care to supply those defects, by a peculiar gift, 

 which he improves with great success : for, sitting as if he were inat- 

 tentive to his prey, the unthinking fly uses no caution in approaching 

 him, when of a sudden, he darts out a tongue about six inches long ; 

 the end of which is concave, and covered with a glutinous matter, so 



