40t» NATURAL HISTORY OF ARABIA. 



only two distinct species of this genus which are known, thdt 

 we shall restrict our account to what may be considered 

 peculiar to it as an inhabitant of Arabia. Between the races 

 of camels in the northern and southern provinces there is a 

 considerable difference. On the borders of Syria and Meso- 

 potamia they are covered with thick hair, and in general 

 attain to a much greater size than in Hejaz, where they have 

 very little wool. The prevailing colour of the Arabian breed 

 is brown or black : further south, as in Eg\T)t, the hue be- 

 comes lighter ; and towards Nubia they are mostly white. 

 The largest kind are from Anatolia, of the Turkoman race ; 

 and the smallest from Yemen. Those of the Eastern Desert 

 near the Euphrates are reputed the best for carriage ; the 

 Eg}'ptian are less qualified than any other to undergT) fatigue, 

 bemcr too well fed to endure the privations of the wilderness. 

 The Syrian camel, though smaller than the Anatolian, bears 

 heat and thirst much better. The natives of Nejed are not 

 only remarkable for their fecundity, but are less susceptible 

 of epidemic diseases than most others ; hence they are pre- 

 ferred by the Bedouins, who repair thither from all quarters 

 that they may renew their flocks. So rich and abundant is 

 that province in the produce referred to, that it has obtained 

 the appellation of Om el Bel, or the Mother of Camels. In 

 Yemen they are plentiful ; but in Hejaz, where pasture is 

 scanty, their number is very limited. 



The Arabs are in the habit of producing a variety of kinds 

 by crossing the breed. The young ones are weaned in the 

 beginning of the second year, and they call them by different 

 names according as they are one, two, three, or fouiv years 

 old ; the latter being the period when they begin to propagate. 

 To prevent them from sucking, a small piece of wood, four 

 inches long and sharp pointed, is driven up the palate and 

 comes out at the nostril, which pricks the mother. Some- 

 times the teats are covered with a thin ro\md board, or a 

 camlet bag, which is fastened with a string tied round the 

 body. After the fore-teeth have reached their full length, the 

 first pair of grinders appear, about the commencement of the 

 sixth year ; the second, third, and last pair make their ap- 

 pearance at the end of two years successively ; so that the 

 animal does not complete its full growth until the age of 

 twelve, when it is called ras. It will live as long as forty 

 years : but after twenty-five or thirty its acti\aty begins to 



