CAMELS. 411 



The Bactrian camel is found in nearly all the desert-regions of 

 Central Asia lying between Afghanistan and Turkestan, and China 

 and Southern Siberia. In the regions lying to the eastward of Yarkand, there 

 occur droves of these camels now living in a wild condition, which there is every 

 reason to believe are descended from domesticated individuals escaped from 

 captivity. According to Prejevalski, these wild camels differ from the ordinary 

 domestic race by the smaller size of their humps, the more distinct pads on their 

 wrists (front knees), and certain peculiarities in the conformation of the skull. 

 Major C. S. Cumberland states that " the habitat of the wild camel is the Gobi 

 steppe, from Khotan to Lob Nor. Except when snow lies on the ground, these 

 animals may be met with here and there along the old bed of the Yarkand and 

 Tarim Rivers, which they frequent for the pools of brackish water that are to be 

 found here and there. But as soon as the snow falls, they move off into the desert, 

 as if then independent of the water-supply. They prefer the snow, I imagine, as 

 being less salt than the water, although it also is impregnated to a certain extent 

 soon after it falls. The camel is very shy in its habits, and, so far as I could 

 ascertain, has never been caught and domesticated. The natives told me that no 

 horse in the country could catch the camels in the deep sand of the region they 

 frequent. . . . They vary in colour, like the domestic species, from dark brown to 

 lightish dun . Their origin has yet to be traced. I take it that they have sprung 

 from camels which escaped when the district known as Takla Makun was buried 

 in a great sand-storm some two centuries ago. Tradition relates that no human 

 beings survived, but it is likely enough that some of the camels and horses did so, 

 and that this was the origin of the wild camels and ponies which are found in the 

 district." 



The Bactrian camel feeds chiefly upon the saline and bitter 

 plants of the steppes which are rejected by almost all other animals ; 

 and displays a curious partiality for salt, drinking freely at the brackish water 

 and salt lakes, which are so common throughout its habitat. Instead of confining 

 itself to a strictly vegetable diet, the Bactrian camel, according to the reports of 

 Prejevalski, will, when pressed by hunger, readily devour almost anything that it 

 may come across, including felt-blankets, bones and skins of animals, flesh and 

 fish. 



The pairing-season occurs during February, March, and April ; 

 and the young (of which but one is produced at a birth) are not born 

 till thirteen months later, so that the period of gestation is considerably longer 

 than in the Arabian camel. At birth the young are so helpless when the animals 

 are kept in the domesticated state that they have to be attended with the greatest 

 care ; but they very soon gain strength, and in about a week are able to eat. They 

 are weaned at an early period for the sake of the milk of the parents, which is 

 largely used by their owners. In their third year they are ridden on short 

 journeys, while in their fifth year they attain their full stature and vigour ; and 

 with good management they are said to be serviceable until they attain the age of 

 some five-and-twenty years. In Mongolia and on the Kirghiz steppes the Bactrian 

 camel is fully as important to the nomad inhabitants as is its southern cousin in 

 Arabia. 



