80 THE CAMEL 



and of in- the individuals of the same species is an important 

 dmduais p Omt or ug ^ an( j some f ew illustrations will here be 



given. But it will be superfluous to enter into many 

 details on this head, for I have found on frequent 

 inquiry that it is the unanimous opinion of all those who 

 have long attended to animals of many kinds, including 

 birds, that the individuals differ greatly in every mental 

 characteristic.' This I can certainly confirm. In the 

 particular instance, however, that Lieut. Massoutier 

 quotes, the fact namely, that a camel can discriminate 

 from a distance as to the quality of the pasture is 

 in itself not only a proof of his wonderful powers of 

 smell, but argues a decided reasoning power which I 

 for one have never found in the many breeds that I 

 have worked with. 



instance One instance, however, that came under my notice, 



dity of which gave them an excellent opportunity of practically 

 demonstrating their faculties of reason, or even of 

 instinct, occurred in Afghanistan in 1878, which at the 

 time created a very strong and unfavourable impression 

 on my mind. We were crossing the river Lora, which 

 lies between Quetta and Gulistan Karez, at the foot 

 of the Kojak Amran range. It was not very broad, 

 while the water at the drift was only about a foot deep, 

 and not more than two feet in any part of the stream ; 

 but the bed was full of quicksands, in whose treacherous 

 depths many an unfortunate camel perished. Here 

 was an occasion, one would at least imagine, that 

 instinct in one of its forms, the so-called law of preser- 

 vation, would have undoubtedly displayed itself, and 

 come to the animal's aid by intuitively warning it of an 

 existing danger. At all events, it is only natural to 



