122 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



[Llamas. 



547 to 556.— Thk Llama 



Genus Auehenia). Under Ihe general term Llama 

 are comprehended three, if not more species, which 

 belong to the same section of the Ruminants as 

 the camel (CameKdtr). Indeed the llama was re- 

 ferred by Linnsus, and other naturalists of the 

 last century, to the genus Camelus ; from which 

 1 Hitter separated it, and assigned it to a genus 

 which he established under the title of Auehenia, 

 in allusion to the length and slenderness of the 

 neck, for.«hich the llamas are remarkable. 



The llamas may be regarded as the analogues of 

 the camel ; and, in the Cordilleras of Peru and 

 Chili, are the mountain representatives of that 

 desert-bom servant of man. 



In outward form, excepting that there is no hump 

 on the back, in the general structure and cellular 

 apparatus of the stomach, with the concomitant 

 power of enduring thirst, or abstaining lor a long 

 season from water, in the expression of the large 

 full overhung eye, in the mobility and division of 

 the upper lip, the fissured nostrils, the slender neck, 

 and meagre limbs, together with the long, woolly 

 character of the clothing, the llama and the camel 

 exhibit striking points of agreement. The foot of 

 the camel, however, with its broad elastic pad, ex- 

 pressly adapted for traversing the sands of the de- 

 sert, differs in its modification from that of the 

 llama, destined to inhabit the rough and rocky 

 Cordilleras, along the craggy sides of which the 

 llama proceeds vfith a free and fearless step. 



The foot of the llama (Fig. 551) consists of two 

 springy toes, completely divided, each with a rough 

 cushion beneath, and provided at the end with a 

 strong short hoof; these hoofs are pointed at the 

 tip, and hooked down somewhat like a claw ; they 

 are compressed laterally, and the upper surface 

 represents an acute ridge; the under surface is 

 linearly concave — a form well fitted for a mountain 



climber. j^,.,- 



When the Spaniards first invaded Peru and Chili, 

 they found the llama domesticated, and used as a 

 beast of burden, its flesh and wool being also in 

 great request. It was their only beast of burden : 

 its flesh was eaten, its skin prepared into leather, 

 and its wool spun and manufactured into cloth. 

 One of the labours to which the llama was sub- 

 jected was that of bringing down ore from the 

 mines among the mountains : its ordinary load was 

 80 or 1(X) pounds, and its average rate of travelling 

 with its burden 12 to 15 miles a day, over rugged 

 mountain-passes ; but, like the camel, if too heaviiy 

 laden it would lie down, and obstinately refuse to 

 proceed, nor would it bear to be urged beyond its 

 accustomed pace. Gregory de Bolivar estimated 

 that in his day 300,000 were employed in the trans- 

 port of the produce of the mines of Potosi alone, 

 and four millions annually killed for food. 



Augustin de Zerate, treasurer-general of Peru, 

 in 1544, under the Spanish dominion, thus describes 

 the llama, which he calls a sheep, though it is, 

 he observes, camel-like in shape, but destitute of a 

 hump :— " In places where there is no snow, the 

 natives want water, and to supply this they fill the 

 skins of sheep with water, and make other living 

 sheep carry them, for it must be remarked, these 

 sheep of Peru are large enough to serve as beasts 

 of burden. They can carry about one hundred 

 pounds or more, and the Spaniards used to ride 

 them, and they would go four or five leagues a day. 

 When they are weary they lie down upon the 

 ground, and as there are no means of making them 

 get up, either by beating or assisting them, the 

 load must of necessity be taken off. When there 

 is a man on one of them, if the beast is tired, and 

 urged to go on, he turns his head round, and dis- 

 charges his saliva, which has an unpleasant odour, 

 into the rider's face. These animals are of great 

 use and profit to their masters, for their wool is 

 very good and fine, particularly that of the species 

 called Pacas, which have very long fleeces ; and 

 the expense of their food is trifling, as a handful 

 of maize suffices them, and they can go four or five 

 days without water. Their flesh is as good as that 

 of the fat sheep of Castile. There are now public 

 shambles for the sale of their flesh in all parts of 

 Peru, which was not the case when the Spaniards 

 came first; for when one Indian had killed a sheep 

 his neighbours came and took what they wanted, 

 and then another Indian killed a sheep in his 

 turn. 



D'Acosta gives nearly a similar testimony ; and 

 notices two kinds (species)— one which is woolly, 

 and called Paco by the natives : the other covered 

 with a slight fleece (villis levibus) only, and nearly 

 naked, whence it is more fitted for carrying bur- 

 thens, called Guanaco. 



Captain G. Shelvocke, an Englishman who sailed 

 round the world in 1719-22, gives a similar account, 

 informing us that the Indians of Peru call these 

 animals Llamas ; the Chilese, Chilihueque ; and the 

 Spaniards, Cameros de la tierra. 



With respect to the distinct species of llama, we 

 learn from De Laet that, besides the domestic race, 

 there are in Peru and Chili various wild animals, of 

 which some are called Guanaco, or Huanacu, whence, 

 from their resemblance to the lame breed, the latter 

 have obtained the same appellation ; their flesh is 

 good, but, according to Garcilaso, inferior to that of 

 the doraesticor Huanacu llamas. These animals in- 

 habit the mountain-ranges, where the males keep 

 watch above whilst the females are feeding in the 

 alpine valleys. When the males observe men ap- 

 proaching in the distance, they utter a sort of neigh, 

 not unlike that of a horse, to warn the females ; and 

 if the men advance nearer, they flee, driving the 

 females before them. The wool of these animals is 

 short and rough, but is notwithstanding used by the 

 natives for making cloth. These animals are taken 

 in traps and snares. Another kind are termed Vi- 

 cunas ; excepting that th^ have no horns, they are 

 not much unlike goats, but are larger, and of a 

 tawny or lion-like colour with a rufous tint : these live 

 in the highest mountains, giving preference to the 

 colder regions, and especially the bleak solitudes 

 which the Peruvians designate by the common name 

 of Punas. Frost and snow, so far from annoying, 

 seem rather to invigorate them. They associate in 

 flocks, and run with great swiftness. Such is their 

 timidity that at the sight of men or wild beasts, they 

 instantly betake themselves into hidden and inac- 

 cessible fortresses. Formerly these animals were 

 very numerous, but they are now become much more 

 rare in consequence of the promiscuous licence for 

 hunting. Their wool is very fine, and resembles 

 silk, or rather the fur of the beaver, and the natives 

 deservedly estimate it highly : besides other proper- 

 ties, it is sajd to resist heat and impart coolness, and 

 consequently is especially used in the manufacture 

 of caps. Besides these are the Tarugas or Tarucas, 

 which are larger and more swift than the Vicunas, 

 and of a more burnt colour, with pendulous and 

 light ears ; they rarely associate in flocks, but wander 

 singly about the precipices : according to Garcilaso 

 they are a species of deer, inferior in size to those 

 of Europe. In the time of the Incas they were in- 

 numerable, and even entered the precincts of the 

 towns, nor was there any deficiency of their fawns 

 and does. All these animals, he adds, produce be- 

 zoar stones. 



A question here arises, what is the Taruga de- 

 scribed by De Laet ? Is it identical with the Paco 

 (otherv/ise called Pacaor Alpaca") of D'Acosta, who, 

 it may be observed, does not mention the Vicuna or 

 Vicugna? This question is not easily answered. 

 With respect to the Chilihueque of Shelvocke, the 

 Hueque or Hueco of Molina, it is evidently identical 

 with the Huanacu of De Laet, which is the Guanaco, 

 and the words are the same, with trifling differences 

 in orthography easily accounted for. We have 

 then the domestic Llama, the Guanaco, the Paco or 

 Alpaca, the Taruga, and the Vicugna. 



Now it is generally believed by naturalists, and 

 among them F. Cuvier, that there are really only 

 three species, viz. the Llama, called, when wild, Gua- 

 naco, the Paco or Alpaca, and the Vicugna. Mr. 

 Bennett, indeed, and Baron Cuvier, suspect there are 

 but two species. The former expressly states that 

 he should have little hesitation in proceeding still 

 farther than F. Cuvier, being strongly inclined to 

 agree with the Baron in regarding the Paco as a 

 mere variety of the Llama with the wool more amply 

 developed, and in considering the Vicugna as the 

 only animal of that group that deserves to be spe- 

 cifically distinguished from that animal. From our 

 own personal observations we are inclined to believe 

 that there are three species as indicated by F. 

 Cuvier, but we confess that we have our doubts as 

 to whether De Laet's Taruga with pendulous ears 

 may not prove to be a fourth species— a point, how- 

 ever, on which we would not insist. Our figures 

 of these animals are as follows :— Fig. 553— the re- 

 cumbent animal is the Domestic, the standing ani- 

 mal the Wild Llama; Figs. 554, 555, are the 

 Domestic Llama; Figs. 548, 549, 552, the Wild 

 Llama or Guanaco ; Fig. 550— the Paco or Al- 

 paca ; Figs. .547, 556, the Vicugna. 



The Guanaco (Auehenia Llama) ; in a domestic . 

 state, the Llama.— At what period the Guanaco be- 

 came domesticated, whether before the foundation 

 of the ancient Peruvian empire while the natives 

 were in the rudest state of savage life, or after Manco 

 Capac had established over the Peruvians the reign- 

 ing line of Incas, it is useless to inquire. All we 

 know is, that the Spaniards on their invasion found 

 the llama trained as a beast of burden, and except- 

 ing as regards its milk, to them what the camel is 

 to the native of the Arabian desert. 



The Guanaco, or wild llama, is more slender and 

 has an aspect more expressive of energy and spirit 

 than its domesticated relative, but it soon becomes 

 familiar in captivity. In its native regions, the 

 highlands of Peru and Chili, it lives in herds, con- 

 tinuing among the mountains during the summer, 

 but descending to the valleys on the approach of 



winter. At this latter season the Chilians hunt 

 them with dogs, but it is only the young and the 

 feeble that can be thus taken ; the old ones are swift, 

 active, and vigorous, and easily escape. During the 

 chase they ai-e said frequently to turn upon their 

 pursuers, neigh loudly, and then take to their heels 

 again. Indeed when alarmed they often stop in 

 their flight to gaze at the ob'ect of their fear, and 

 again gallop off. 



The guanaco feeds upon mountain herbage, and 

 especially a species of rushy grass called ycho ; and 

 when there issufiicient of this green fodder for them, 

 they are never known to drink. The same observa- 

 tion applies to the domestic breed and the Paco and 

 the Vicugna. Mr. Bennett suggests as a probability 

 that they may have the power of extracting from 

 their food sufficient liquid to satiate theirthirst. It 

 cannot have esca|)ed notice that the secretion of 

 saliva in these animals is remarkably abundant, even, 

 as we have observed, in the hottest weather in Eng- 

 land, and that upon the slightest ofi'ence, real or 

 supposed, they discharge a copious shower of it 

 over the person of the offender. May it not be that 

 the naturally abundant flow of this saliva obviates 

 the necessity of frequently drinking ? This saliva 

 was once supposed to possess acrid, irritating quali- 

 ties, which certainly is not the case, though it must 

 be confessed a sprinkling with rose-water would 

 be more pleasant. 



When assaulted and pushed to defend themselves, 

 these animals strike with their fore-feet, and that 

 with great energy, giving very severe blows : we 

 have, indeed, seen them strike upon trifling provo- 

 I cation, though in general they are quiet and in- 

 offensive. 



The wool of the guanaco is in request, being 

 of fi^e texture : the general colour is rich rufous 

 brown, the head and ears being grey. The neck is 

 peculiarly long ; the tail a little raised and curved 

 down. Height at the top of the shoulders about 

 three feet and a half. 



Mr. Darwin states, the guanaco " abounds over 

 the whole of the temperate parts of South America 

 from the wooded islands of Tierra del Fuego, 

 through Patagonia, the hilly parts of La Plata, 

 Chili, even to the Cordillera of Peru. Although 

 preferring an elevated site, it yields in this respect 

 to its near relative, the vicugna ; on the plains of 

 Southern Patagonia we saw them in greater num- 

 bers than in any other part. Generally they go in 

 small herds from half-a-dozen to thirty together, 

 but on the banks of the St. Cruz we saw one herd 

 which must have contained at least .500. On the 

 northern shores of the Strait of Magellan they are 

 also very numerous. Generally the guanacoes are 

 wild and extremely wary. The sportsman fre- 

 quently receives the first intimation of their pre- 

 sence by hearing from a distance the peculiar shrill 

 neighing note of alarm. ,Ifhe then looks attentively, 

 he will perhaps see the herd standing in a line on 

 some distant hill. On approaching them, a few 

 more squeals are given, and then off they set at an 

 apparently slow, but really quick, canter along 

 some narrow beaten track to a neighbouring hill. 

 If, however, by chance he should abruptly meet a 

 single animal, or several together, they will gene- 

 rally stand motionless and intently gaze at him ; 

 then, perhaps, move on a few yards, turn round, 

 and look again. What is the cause of this dif- 

 ference in their shyness ? Do they mistake a man 

 in the distance for their chief enemy, the puma, 

 or does curiosity overcome their timidity? That 

 they are curious is certain; for if a person lies 

 on the ground and plays strange antics, such as 

 throwing up his feet in the air, they will almost al- 

 ways approach by degrees to reconnoitre him. It 

 was an artifice that was frequently practised by our 

 sportsmen with success ; and it had, moreover, the 

 advantage of allowing several shots to be fired, 

 which were all taken as parts of the performance. 

 On the mountains of Tierra del Fuego, and in other 

 places, I have more than once seen a guanaco, on 

 being approached, not only neigh and squeal, but 

 prance and leap about in the most ridiculous man- 

 ner, apparently in defiance, as a challenge. These 

 animals are very easily domesticated, and I have 

 seen some thus kept near the houses, although at 

 large on their native plains. They are in this state 

 very bold, and readily attack a man by striking him 

 from behind with both knees. The wild guanacoes, 

 however, have no idea of defence : even a single 

 dog will secure one of these large animals till the 

 huntsman can come up. In many of their habits 

 they are like sheep in a flock. Thus when they 

 see men approaching in different directions on 

 horseback, they soon become bewildered, and know 

 not which way to run. This greatly facilitates the 

 Indian method of hunting, for they are thus easily 

 driven to a central point and encompassed. The 

 guanacoes readily take to the water ; several times 

 at Port Valdes they were seen swimming from 

 island to island. Byron, in his Voyage, says he saw 

 them drinking salt water. Some of our officers, 



