154 SHEEP OF THE UNITED STATES AND SOUTH AMERICA. 



to which its fleece is applied, is from a late London Jour- 

 nal : — 



" Nine-tenths of the wool of the alpaca is black, the re- 

 mainder being partly white, red, and grizzled. It is of a 

 very long staple, often reaching twelve inches, and resem- 

 bles soft glossy hair — which character is not lost in dying. 

 The Indians in the South American mountains manufacture 

 nearly all their clothing from this wool, and are enabled to 

 appear in black dresses, without the aid of a dyer. Both 

 the lama and alpaca are, perhaps, even of more value to the 

 natives as beasts of burden than wool-bearing animals, and 

 their obstinacy when irritated is well known. The impor- 

 tance of this animal has already been considered by the 

 English, in their hat, woollen, and stuff* trade, and an essay 

 on the subject has been publisbed by Dr. Hamilton, of Lon- 

 don, from which some of these details are collected. 



" The wool is so remarkable, being a jet black, glossy, 

 silk-like hair, that it is fitted for the production of fabrics 

 diff'ering from all others, occupying a medium position be- 

 tween wool and silk. 



" It is now mingled with other materials, in such a singu- 

 lar manner, that while a particular dye will aff'ect those, it 

 Avill leave the alpaca wool with its original black color, thus 

 giving rise to great diversity. 



" The alpaca weighs, when full grown, from 160 to 200 

 lbs. It yields annually a fleece weighing from 10 to 14 

 lbs., or more. The flesh is said to be wholesome and nu- 

 tritious — the skin may be used for bookbinding and other 

 purposes. 



" The alpaca is found in large herds on the Andes — 

 sometimes at an elevation of 10,000 or 11,000 feet above 

 the sea, where eternal snow rests on the mountain tops, 

 where frequent and violent storijis prevail, and where the 

 scanty herbage is of the coarsest kind. There they pros- 

 per, meeting with but slight attention on the part of the 

 shepherds. Disease is unknown among them ; they are at- 

 tached to their keepers, and never stray from their herds. 

 They brave the fiercest snowdrifts ; the strongest of the 

 herd advance first, bend down their heads to meet the com- 

 ing storm, and trample down or leap over the hillocks of 

 snow that obstruct their passage. 



" Viewing the peculiar habits of this animal, the idea of 

 the author is, that it might, with but little trouble or expense. 



