AND DROMEDARY. 137 



folded under the body, and, in this fituation, to 

 bear both the weight of their own bodies, and 

 that of the loads laid on their backs, we ought 

 to prefume that the bunch or bunches have alfo o- 

 riginated from the unequal preffure of heavy bur- 

 dens, which would naturally make the flefh, the 

 fat, and the fkin, fwell ; for thefe bunches are not 

 offeous, but compofed of a flefhy fubftance fimi- 

 lar to that of a cow's udder *. Hence the cal- 

 lofities and bunches mould be equally regarded 

 as deformities produced by continual labour and 

 bodily conftraint; and, though at firft accidental 

 and individual, they are now become permanent 

 and common to the whole fpecies. We may 

 likewife prefume, that the bag which contains 

 the water, and is only an appendix to the paunch, 

 has been produced by an unnatural extenfion of 

 this vifcus. The animal, after fufFering third 

 for a long time, by taking at once as much, and 

 perhaps more water than the ftomach could ea- 

 iily contain, this membrane would be gradually 

 extended and dilated ; in the fame manner as 

 we have feen the ftomach of a iheep extend in 

 proportion to the quantity of its aliment. In 

 iheep fed with grain, the ftomach is very fmall; 



but 



of which a quantity of ftones are laid, to prevent him from 

 rifmg, and in this pofition he remains fifteen or twenty days. 

 He is ferved with milk, but very fparingly, in order to ar- 

 cuftom him to drink little ; Voyage ds Tavernier, torn. l.p. i6r. 

 * The flefh of the camel is infipid, efpecially that of the 

 bunch, the tafte of which refembles that of a fat cow's ud 

 VAfriqtie dc Manuel, torn. l.p. 50. 



