38 THE CAMEL 



quantity of water exuded to moisten the parched palate 

 for fear the store should too soon be exhausted. True, 

 these water pouches may be called extra stomachs, but 

 they are not large reservoirs. It is equally true that 

 their muscular mouths prevent lavish expenditure, but 

 we must not in our enthusiastic admiration of Nature's 

 provision run away with the idea that camels are 

 absolutely independent of frequent watering; it is a 

 dangerous doctrine to adopt on a campaign when we 

 want by every means to economise the animal's strength, 

 and draw as little as possible upon this reserve.' 



Tt seems very probable that the term 'two 

 stomachs ' above alluded to is only a misnomer arising 

 from a confusion of ideas, and that two compartments 

 Were meant to be implied ; though the idea has always 

 been prevalent that the camel has four stomachs a 

 misapplication of words purely and simply. Even 

 Aristotle speaks of the camel, on account of his size 

 and the nature of his food, as having several stomachs, 

 and that he ruminates but has no bile, showing how 

 very old are the fallacies regarding this strangely un- 

 sympathetic animal, and altogether accounting for the 

 superstitions which have prevailed as to his extra- 

 ordinary powers. 



A popular It seems to be generally believed that the Arab 

 and other nomadic tribes, when placed in jeopardy 

 through want of water, kill some of their camels in 

 order to get at the precious fluid ; but this, again, is a 

 popular fable, although many travellers and naturalists 

 have credited it, and Buffon cites a case of a dead 

 camel that had not been watered for ten days being 

 found with a pint of pure water in its stomach. Water 



