UUMINANTIA. 165 



The two-humped Camel walks with less difficulty than the other 

 in humid grounds; it is also larger and stronger. At the regular 

 period it sheds the whole of its hair. It is the single-humped Camel 

 that is the most abstemious. The Dromedary, properly speaking, 

 is a lighter variety of it, and better calculated for journies. 



The flesh and milk of the Camel serve as food, and its hair for 

 garments, to the people who possess it. In stony countries both 

 species are useless (a). 



AUCHENIA, Illig. 



In the Lamas the two toes are separate, and are deficient in the humps. 

 But two distinct species are known, both from the western continent, and 

 much smaller than the two preceding ones. 



Camelus llacma, L. ; Guanaco, Buff. Supp. VI. xxvii. (The 

 Lama). As large as a Stag; the hair coarse and of a chestnut 

 colour, but varying when domesticated. It was the only beast of 

 burden in Peru as the time of the conquest. It can carry a hundred 

 and fifty pounds, but makes short journeys. The Alpaca is a va- 

 riety with long woolly hair. 



Cam. vicunna, L. ; BufF. Supp. VI. xxviii. (The Paco, or Vi - 

 cugna). The size of a Sheep, covered with fawn coloured wool, 

 extremely soft and fine, of which valuable stuff's are manufactured. 



MoscHus, Lin. 



The Chevrotains, or Musks, are much less anomalous than the Camels, 

 differing from the ordinary Ruminantia only in the absence of horns, in 

 having a long canine tooth on each side of the upper jaw, which in the 



E^ (o) The formation of the Camel's foot prevents it from being capable of tra- 

 velling over a stony or rough road, or any ground that is moist. Its feet are adapted 

 solely to the nature of the way which it traverses, and it is by this peculiarity of 

 adaptation that naturalists are enabled at once to explain why it is that up to this 

 hour the camel still continues an exclusive inhabitant of the desert, whilst every 

 other animal has left the same aboriginal seat in central Asia to accompany man in 

 his migrations. But the still more wonderful peculiarity of the camel, is the struc- 

 ture of its stomach, or rather the first of the stomachs, called the paunch, in which 

 the cells described by Cuvier receive and retain a great quantity of water, at least as 

 much as is sufficient to supply the animal for several days. A large camel carries 

 from seven to twelve hundred weight on his back, at the rate of more than ten 

 leagues on an average every day; they feed in their journeys, to a great extent, on 

 thorny plants, but they are supplied usually with dates by their leaders. In the ab- 

 sence of such aliment, they patiently continue their course. The privation of nutri- 

 tious food leads to the absorption of the boss upon their backs. Their sense of 

 smelling is so extremely acute, in reference to their immediate wants, that they never 

 fail to distinguish, at a considerable distance, the existence of fresh water. The 

 camel is easily taught to lie do^vn in such a manner as that its burden is easily at- 

 tached to it; but, if after having received the destined freight it finds that it cannot 

 endure the weight with facility, it abstains from rising in the erect posture, and will 

 not do so until a portion of the load is taken oft". Travellers tell us, that if the dri- 

 ver sings a merry tune the camel undergoes the fatigues of the jom-ney with much 

 greater readiness and ease. We may add that, in modern acceptation, the name of 

 Dromedanj (or cornier) is applied to all the varieties of the Arabian camels, or those 

 with only one hump. — Eng, Eu. 



