THE ANTERIOR LIMBS OF ANfflALS. 59 



mucli more flatly ; their tips only are encased iu 

 small hoofs ; and on their under surface they 

 are cushioned with a large elastic pad, connecting 

 them together, and spreading out on each side. 

 This pad expands by pressure at each step ; 

 and by this provision the animal, while tra- 

 versing the sands, is prevented from sinking 

 over the feet, which Avould cause additional 

 labour ; whUe on a rocky ground, or over stony 

 passes, the elasticity of the callous pad gives 

 ease to its movements. The limbs are meagre, 

 and appear to yield at every step ; bixt they 

 are in reality endowed Avith immense strength 

 and power of endurance. The ordinary load 

 of a good camel is five or six hundred pounds ; 

 and with this weight, the animal moves at the 

 rate of nearly three mUes an hour, regular as 

 clockwork, for eight hours a day, during a 

 period of many successive days or even weeks. 

 The llama may be regarded as the camel of 

 the Andes, and was once the only beast of bur- 

 den among the Peruvians. The sterile craggy 

 rocks and mountain valleys are its home, and 

 its feet are modified accordingly. They are 

 formed for security on a rugged surface. We 

 see two springy toes, completely divided, each 

 with a rough callous elastic cushion beneath, 



