MANAGEMENT 275 



lutely necessary at the former time to prevent robbery 

 of rations, and to see that each animal gets his full 

 allowance ; at the latter to ensure a thorough cleaning 

 of animals and equipment. All hands should be present 

 under sectional and divisional officers. 



' Particular attention should be paid to the groom- Grooming 

 ing' of camels, and every opportunity that I got on 

 service I always made my men give them a good 

 rubbing down on the hump and back. After devoting 

 a great deal of thought to the question, I have come to 

 the conclusion that the grooming of a camel should be 

 quite as elaborate as that of a horse. And, if anything, 

 it should be more careful. Apart from all other 

 reasons of cleansing from dirt, parasites, &c., I consider 

 it is all the more important in the case of a camel, on 

 account of the deficiency in its skin of perspiratory 

 follicles and ducts, about which I spoke in chapter i. 

 After what I said there I need hardly point out the 

 absolute necessity of keeping the skin as clean as 

 possible, so as to give it every chance of having the 

 pores open and in a state of action, thereby ensuring 

 the health and fitness of the animal. To obtain this a 

 certain amount of friction is necessary, besides giving 

 the animals immense relief and diminishing the chances 

 of sore backs. Therefore, two hours daily devoted to 

 this cannot be more practically and usefully employed. 



For the mane a large wooden comb is useful. For 

 the body a rough brush, a wisp of grass or straw, or a 

 bundle of twigs, will remove the dirt, while a piece of 

 coarse sacking or other rough material will do to rub 

 him down with for a final polish. 



A camel is generally infested with ticks and lice, Vermin 



T 2 



