The Camel Tribe and the Chevrotains 



303 



to store water ; in reality they are huge masses of fat, 

 serving as a reserve store of food. The accumulation 

 of fat for this purpose is a common feature amongst 

 the Mammalia. Most animals which hibernate, or lay up 

 and sleep during the winter, store up fat; but, except in 

 the camel, it is distributed more or less evenly over the 

 body. With hard work or bad feeding the camel's hump 

 dwindles almost to nothing. When on the eve of a long 

 journey, the Arab looks anxiously to the state of this hump, 

 for on the size of this depends the animal's condition and 

 ability to undertake the march. 



The Arabian camel as a wild animal has long since 

 been extinct. Of the hordes of so-called wild camels which 

 abound in the desert regions of Central Asia (Gobi Steppe), 

 some are probably descendants of domesticated animals 

 which have escaped from captivity, but others may be 

 aboriginally wild. From the evidence of fossil camels, there 

 seems little doubt that this animal originated in North 

 America one branch of the family (the Llamas) migrating 

 into South America, and the other (the Camels) crossing 

 Bering Sea into the Old World. 



THE TRUE CAMEL. 



Before proceeding further, it may be well to refer to 

 the confusion which exists in the use of the names Camel 

 and Dromedary. The latter name seems popularly to be 

 applied to the two-humped species, the name Camel being reserved for the one with a single 

 hump. This is a mistake. The DROMEDARY is a swift breed of riding-camel of the one- 

 humped species, and is so called to distinguish it from its slower brother, the Pack-camel, or 



Photo by York & Son} [Sotting Hill. 



A CAMEL. 



A half-breed between the Arabian and Bactrian 

 species. 



Photo by W. Reid] 



A STRING OP CAMELS NEAR PORT SAID. 

 These are the typical desert-camels of the East. 



