CAME L. 



675 



tains, as they extend nearer and nearer to the equator ; 

 and that the genera which are first met with in the 

 savannahs, in the northern parts of the temperate lati- 

 tudes, follow the lines of the rivers, and the margins 

 of the forests. Among these, the accumulated fat of 

 the deer tribe is the softest ; then follows that of the 

 ox, afterwards the sheep, and lastly the camel ; but 

 some species of the intermediate groups accumulate 

 crystallised, or at all events curdy fat, according to 

 their nature, and that of the places which they 

 frequent. 



The antelopes, which are in general light and fleet 

 animals, and thus much more capable of shifting sea- 

 sonally after their food, have not such a tendency to 

 the accumulation of fat ; and the same might be said 

 of the kangaroos of Australia, which, though not 

 ruminating animals are vegetable feeders, and the 

 f nly native animals which supply the place of the 

 ruminantia in that part of the world. 



The only other general characters which it is neces- 

 sary to mention in the true camels are, that the females 

 go twelve months with young, produce only one at a 

 time, which is dropped with the rudiment of a hump 

 and with the eyes open, but it has nftt the callosities 

 on the sternum or the joints of the legs ; the female 

 has four teats, and continues to suckle her young one 

 for twelve months, as it is a considerable time in 

 being able to support itself by browsing. As already 

 hinted at, the males become very fierce during the 

 rutting season, and they undergo certain other changes 

 which are peculiar. The humps in a great measure 

 disappear, owing in all probability to the animals 

 then ceasing to feed ; they become less strong than 

 at other times ; their eye sare inflamed, they dis- 

 charge a fcetid liquor from the glandular openings on 

 the back part of the head ; they foam at the mouth, 

 and occasionally at least protrude the uvula between 

 the teeth, as if it were an inflated bag of a deep red 

 colour. 



There is little difference between the Bactrian and 

 the Arabian species, other than that the former is 

 proportionably longer in the body and lower on the 

 legs, and has two humps. It is generally understood 

 that the two breed together, but the fact as to whether 

 the progeny will again breed with each other, and 

 thus establish a specific identity, or whether they be 

 mules, which, like those between the horse and ass, 

 will breed back to the pure blood of either parent, 

 but not with each other, is not yet settled. 



The ARABIAN CAMEL (Camelta Dromedanut) may 

 be considered as the camel par excellence; as it is 

 the one which is best known and employed on the 

 most difficult, and therefore the most important jour- 

 neys. To the Arab in the desert, especially those 

 parts of it in which neither sheep nor goats can be 

 kept; the camel is an exceedingly valuable animal, 

 and in this respect approaches nearer to the ox, 

 where kept for draught and burden, as well as for 

 food, than perhaps any other animal. The flesh of 

 the camel is eaten ; and the milk is applied to all the 

 common domestic purposes. Their hair is manufac- 

 tured into clothing, and also covering for touts. The 

 hide, which is very thick and strong, is used for mak- 

 ing sandals, saddles, pitchers, shields and various other 

 articles. The owner, with his family, and all their 

 little appointments, are carried from place to place on 

 the backs of the camels. When the camel kneels 

 down for repose during the night, his side forms a 

 pillow ; and when the sand drives before the storm in 



the desert, the rider takes saelter in the lee of the 

 kneeling camel. Upon occasion, the camels are some- 

 times ranged round the encampment, forming both a 

 shelter, and at least a temporary means of defence in 

 cases of attack during the night ; and those countries 

 which are separated from each other by wide extents 

 of desert, could have no communication with each 

 other but by means of the camel. The camel and the 

 desert thus appear to be made for each other ; and 

 though the appellation of " the Ship of the Desert" 

 no doubt partakes of little of the high hyperbole of 

 eastern speech, yet that animal is the only ship by 

 means of which the desert can be navigated either 

 with certainty or with safety. 



An Arabian camel can carry a load of between 

 700 and 800 pounds, and travel with it at the rate of 

 about two miles and a half in the hour. When less 

 heavily laden it can travel faster, though not above 

 three miles in the hour ; and in the deserts it is not 

 customary to load the animals very heavily, or drive 

 them more than about eight hours in the day. Though 

 the eye of the camel is heavy, his senses, especially 

 that of smelling, are very acute : and though there is 

 some trouble as well as some skill necessary in break- 

 ing a young camel, yet when properly broken they 

 are docile ; with proper treatment they last much 

 longer than the horse, being serviceable to the age of 

 forty or forty-five years ; but in India, where they 

 are heavily laden, and not so well treated as in the 

 countries to the westward, they do not last above 

 half that time. 



Camels have been partially introduced into some 

 of the warmer parts of the South of Europe ; but they 

 are not properly at home any where except on sur- 

 faces of dry sand or mud ; on hard ground their feet 

 get beaten, on rocks they get cut. and on both kinds 

 of surfaces the planting of the feet shakes them 

 violently, and they run some risk of dislocating the 

 joints of their legs ; their manner of walking, and also 

 the convex form of the soles of their feet, render a 

 surface which yields partially to the tread necessary 

 to their walking with comfort ; and when one sees a 

 camel led about for show in paved streets, the animal 

 seems to walk in great pain, and looks sickly from 

 the constant jolting of its weighty body, and the ten- 

 dency which its feet have to slide, especially if the 

 pavement is wet, or glazed by the traffic of carriage? 

 in dry weather. 



Camels are sometimes used in war, and small pieces 

 of ordnance are occasionally mounted on their backs ; 

 but the principal use of them are for more pacific 

 purposes. When a horde of those nomadic tribes, 

 which depend much on their camels, remain stationary 

 in any locality, they let their camels pasture together 

 in considerable flocks ; but the males and females are 

 kept in separate pastures, by which inrans they all 

 remain tractable, except during the rutting season, 

 and then the males often fight desperately with each 

 other by biting, striking, and kicking, in the course 

 of which they endeavour to throw each other down, 

 and the one which goes to the ground is sure to be 

 trampled under foot by the other. They are even 

 exibited in combat among the coarse spectacles of the 

 place. This is not, however, very common. 



As is the case among horses, and indeed among 

 all animals which have been long in a state of domes- 

 tication, there appear to be considerable " differences 

 of blood " among camels. Those which are used in 

 common caravan travelling, with heavy loads, and at 

 3 D2 



