256 MAMMALIA. 



wool is much prized for its fineness. The animal has a shrill 

 whistle ; it is easily domesticated. The Guanaco, by some na- 

 turalists considered erroneously as the parent stock of the Llama 

 and Alpaca, is also only found in the wild state ; it is seen as far 

 north as lat. 12 S., is very abundant, and in large flocks on the 

 Bolivian and Chilian Andes, and has been seen as far as the 

 southern extremity of the continent. All these animals feed on 

 a species of coarse, wiry grass called ichu. 



In the Peru-Bolivian Andes the Llama and Alpaca are daily 

 disappearing to make room for the more useful and profitable 

 breed of the common European Sheep, wdiile as a beast of bur- 

 then the Ass is everywhere taking its place. Pentland, in Mrs. 

 Somerville's Physical Geography, ii. 340, 342. 



M. G. Geoffroy has announced, on the authority of Dr. Wed 

 del, that a cross-breed between the Alpaca and Vicuna had been 

 obtained, and that the mules of this cross-breed are capable of 

 reproducing this newly-created species, the wool of which is re- 

 presented as of a valuable quality; but Mr. Pentland has examined 

 the case referred to and the evidence adduced, and does not con- 

 sider it sufficient to establish the fact. 



* Of a nearly uniform brown colour. Wild. 



1. LAMA VICUGNA. The VICUGNA. 



Head short. Face covered with soft hair, like the neck, and 

 of the same colour. Cheeks rather paler. Hair of temples not 

 longer than that of the rest of the head. Eyelashes black. Ears 

 hairy, brown, blackish washed. Neck and head without any long 

 hairs. Sides of the body with longer, projecting, rather rigid 

 brown hairs. Hind legs without any appearance of elongated 

 warts. The hinder part of the belly and inside of the thighs 

 less naked. 



Skull (adult) 9 inches long ; nose short ; nasal bones short, 

 broad; lacrymal opening none. 



Camelus Vicugna, Molini, Chili, 277; Gmelin, S. N. i. 1/1; 



Schreb. Saugth. t. 307; Lesson, Bull. Sci. Nat. Univer. i. 



252 ; Zool Journ. i. 242. 



Lama Vicugna, Fischer, Syn. 437 ', Gray, Knowsley Menag. 

 Lacma Vicunna, Tiedem. Zool. i. 421. 

 Auchenia Vicunna, Desm. Mam. 426. 

 Lama Vicunna, Gray, List Osteol. B. M. 62. 

 Auchenia Vicugna, Desm. 

 Auchenia Vicunna, Sundevall, Pecora, 107. 

 Auchenia Vicunia, Tschudi in Wiegm. Arch. 1824, 245 ; Fauna 



Peru, t. 17. 



