THE GUANACO 381 



Except for its longer neck, which it carries very erect, the 

 animal is more sheep-like than the Llama. The Alpacas 

 are pastured on the high mountain tablelands during the 

 greater part of the year, being brought down into the 

 valleys only at the shearing season. Alpaca wool, which is 

 yellowish brown, or grey, or white, or black, was first used by 

 the natives for making tent covers and similar purposes. It 

 was also made into coarse sacks for the transmission of goods. 

 When emptied, these sacks were destroyed as useless. But 

 the late Sir Titus Salt, when quite a young man, invented a 

 set of machinery which could deal with the peculiar fibre 

 of the wool, bought for a trifle all the old bags that he could 

 procure, and set up the machinery that gave rise to the great 

 factory of Saltaire in Yorkshire. 



The Alpaca is one of the very few animals which the 

 white man has not transferred with success from its native 

 home. A large herd that was imported into England led to 

 no useful result, and in different parts of Europe similar 

 attempts ended in failure. Australia appeared to be the 

 likeliest region to suit the animal ; but as a herd of three 

 hundred dwindled down to a dozen in about five years, it 

 seems to point out that the Alpaca is not likely to be added 

 to the many more or less cosmopolitan animals of the 

 world. 



GUANACO (Lama guanacus). 



The Guanaco, or Huanaco, the ancestor of the present- 

 day Llama, extends throughout the Andes region from the 

 Equator to Cape Horn. The coat, rough and short, is 

 usually brown in colour. Though exceedingly wild and 

 wary, the animal has little idea of defending itself, but 

 the males fight furiously among themselves. 



The animal is said to retire to some secluded place when 

 it is about to die ; and Darwin found certain spots near the 

 Santa Cruz river that were white with bones. This strange 

 habit has given rise to considerable discussion among 

 naturalists. The most probably correct explanation is, that 

 long ages ago the Guanaco in the severe weather came 

 down from the heights to the wooded valleys for warmth. 

 An animal approaching its end would feel cold from its 



