404 UNGULATES 



with either horns or antlers. The stomach has but three compartments ; the first 

 two of these being provided with a number of cells or pouches which can be closed 

 by the action of muscles, and these contain only fluid. The bones of all the 

 members of the family are remarkable for their extremely solid and ivory-like 

 structure. 



The camel family, in proportion to its extent, is more valuable to mankind 

 than any other group of even-toed Ungulates, only one . species being unknown in 

 the domesticated condition, while two are now found exclusively in that state. 

 The Old and New World representatives constitute two distinct genera, the former 

 of which we take first. 



THE CAMELS. 

 Genus Camelus. 



The camels of the Old World, of which there are two distinct species, are 

 characterised by their great bodily size and bulk, and the presence of one or two 

 large fatty humps on the back, as well as by having six upper and five lower 

 cheek-teeth on each side of the jaws, the total number of teeth being thirty-four. 

 Their ears are comparatively short and rounded ; and the hair is very irregularly 

 disposed, being in some places very long and shaggy, and in others short and close, 

 although never partaking of the nature of true wool. The feet are broad, with the 

 toes very imperfectly separated ; and the tail is comparatively long, reaching nearly 

 to the hocks, and furnished near the end with long hair forming a terminal tuft. 

 Callous pads, on which the animal rests when lying down, and which are present 

 at birth, are found on the chest, the elbows, the wrists (commonly called the knees), 

 and the knees. Needless to say, the whole form of these animals is far from 

 beautiful, while the head is ugly in the extreme ; and this want of bodily beauty 

 is accompanied by a viciousness of temper and general stupidity of disposition 

 which can scarcely be paralleled elsewhere among domesticated animals. 



The two species of camel are both now unknown in the wild condition, 

 although in some localities there are half -wild herds of which the parents 

 have escaped from captivity. There is also a half-breed between the two species, 

 which is said by the tribes among which it is bred to display better qualities than 

 either of the parent stocks. 



The first of these two species is the true or Arabian camel 



Arabian Camel. 



(Camelus dromedarius), which is found both in Africa and Asia, and 

 is characterised by its single hump. It is a long-limbed animal, with a compara- 

 tively short coat of hair, and soft feet, adapted for walking on yielding sandy soil, 

 and standing from about 6 feet 8 inches to 7 feet in height. The head is compara- 

 tively short, with a long and sloping muzzle, and convex forehead ; the eyes are 

 large, with a soft expression ; and the small rounded ears are placed far back on 

 the sides of the head. The upper lip overhangs the lower; and the large slit- 

 like nostrils can be closed at will. The long neck is laterally compressed, and 

 thickest in the middle ; and the body is massive and rounded. The contour of the 

 back rises from the setting on of the neck to the loins, and then falls rapidly away 



