WOOL. 215 



" It was in a bitter wind-storm, ou the desolate table-land of the 

 Peruvian Andes," writes a traveller, " that I first saw a ludicrously un- 

 gainly beast pop up from behind a rock, as the stumbling feet of my 

 mule sent some loose stones rolling noisily down a precipice. The brute 

 surveyed me for an instant, then shook his hairy head, gave a loud 

 snort, and vanished. The echoes of the lonely pass bore to my ears a 

 singular noise, as if an army of barefooted men were flying down the 

 mountain. I had started a herd of grazing alpacas, and their sentry had 

 warned them of my approach. The noise was the beating of their huge, 

 cartilage, padded feet on the rocky ground. 



" The alpaca, which many people confuse with the Llama, possibly 

 because it is very closely allied to it in form and characteristics, is 

 the gold mine of the Indians of the Andes, especially those of Peru, 

 Bolivia, and Chili. It is an extraordinary brute in more senses than one. 

 Its appearance, with its full coat of wool, is supremely ridiculous. It is as 

 large as a big sheep, with a neck like a small giraffe, a mere bundle of 

 wool carried around on four legs terminating with feet resembling those 

 of an ostrich. Its legs are powerful and inappropriately graceful in 

 comparison with the body they support and the feet in which they 

 terminate. If the alpaca is absurdly ugly with its hair on, it is a 

 positive burlesque after it has been fully sheared. It is sheared like a 

 sheep, only its head is left covered. It is sometimes sheared once a year, 

 yielding a six to eight-inch fleece ; but the more provident alpaca farmers 

 shear only once in two years, when they get wool from 15 to 30 inches 

 long. The wool is found ranging in colour from white, through grey, 

 yellow, and brown to black. The animal looks black, however, as the 

 fleece exudes an oil and mats with the dust of the mountain pastures in 

 which it roams at large. The fleece is very fine in texture, metallic in 

 lustre when clean, and the fibre is very strong." 



The fibres of alpaca are about 6 inches in length. 



The various colours of alpaca wool embrace such shades as black, 

 white, grey, and brown. It is also remarkable for its brightness, lustre, 

 extreme softness, and long length of staple. 



Asiatic Wool. This wool fibre has been brought into use for 

 spinning yarns. They are adapted to be used in the weaving of Oriental 

 carpets and rugs at Crefeld. 



Glutton or Wolverene (Gulo luscus). This animal is found chiefly in 

 the northern parts of the American continent. The fur is fine, of a 

 chesnut colour. The animal has a dark mark on its back. The fur is in 

 demand for muffs, cloak linings, and sleigh robes. 



Llama Wool (Auchenia llama]. Llama wool fibres very closely 

 resemble those of the alpaca, but are longer in staple. The animal has 



