AND DROMEDARY. t 143 



produce at full liberty*. The advantages deri- 

 ved from their produce and their milkf, are per- 

 haps luperior to what could be drawn from their 

 work. In fome places, however, molt of the 

 females are caftrated J, in order to fit them for 

 labour; and it is alledged, that this operation, 

 inftead of diminifhing, augments their ilrength, 

 vigour, and plumpnefs. in general, the fatter 

 camels are, they are the more capable of endu- 

 ring great fatigue. Their bunches feem to pro- 

 ceed from a redundance of nourifhment ; for, 

 during long journeys, in which their conductor 

 is obliged to hufband their food, and where they 

 often fufFer much hunger and thirft, thefe bunch- 

 es gradually diminim, and become fo flat, that 

 the place where they were is only perceptible bv 

 the length of the hair, which is always longer 

 on thefe parts than on .the reft of the back. The 

 meagernefs of the body augments in proportion 

 as the bunches decreafe. The Moors, who tranf- 

 port all articles of merchandifefrom Barbary and 

 Numidia, as far as iEthiopa, fet out with their 

 camels well laden, and when they are very fat 



and 



* Camelos foeminas intactas propter earum lac fervant, 

 eas omni labore folutas vagari permittentes per loca fylveftria 

 pafcentes, &c. Profp. Alpin. hij}. /Egypt, part. i. p. 226. 



f Of the camel's milk, fmall cheefes are made, which are 

 % r cry dear, and highly efteemed among the Arabs ; Voyage da 

 P. Philippe, p. 370. 



% The males are caftrated ; and the females fometimes un- 

 dergo a fimilar operation, which renders them ftronger and 

 larger ; JVotton, p. 8.2. 



