166 



THE CAMEL AND THE DROMEDARY. 



The camel and the dromedary, though bearing dif- 

 ferent names; and varying in their form and bunches 

 upon their back, are supposed to have been originally 

 of the same race ; but the dromedary at present is the 

 most numerous, though it is neither so large or so 

 strong as the camel, and has only one bunch upon its 

 back. The dromedary is an inhabitant of Arabia, the 

 southern parts of Africa, Persia, Turkey, and a great part 

 of the East Indies ; whilst the camel is seldom found but 

 in Turkey, and the countries of the Levant. The one 

 inhabits the sultry parts of the torrid zone, whilst the 

 other delight's in a warm, but not a burning clime. 



In those vast deserts where the earth is every where 

 dry and sandy, where there are neither birds or beasts, 

 insects or vegetables, where nothing is to be seen but 



. hills of sand and heaps of bones, there the camel is 

 capable of travelling for several days together without 

 the sustenance of drink or food. ' Nothing can be more 

 dreary than the aspect of these sandy plains ; wherever 

 the eye turns, dust and sterility are alone presented to 

 its sight ; here and there may be found a few spots of 

 verdure, and to those the poor animal is permitted to 

 retire after the toilsome labours of the day. 



The Arabians consider the camel as a most sacred 

 treasure, without whose help, life could not be en- 

 dured ; its milk supplies them with nourishment; its 



* flesh with food, its hair (which is regularly shed once 

 a year) with cloathing, and its strength enables them 

 to transport their merchandize through dreary plains, 

 parched by excessive heat. This tractable and useful 



■ creature easily becomes subservient to man ; the young 

 ones, a few days after their birth, are accustomed to 



