MAM MI FERGUS ANIMALS. 387 



an inhabitant of Java and Sumatra, and 

 so delicate in constitution, as to be incapable of 

 being brought alive to Europe. It is distinguished 

 by very minute legs and hoofs, the former, not 

 exceeding a quill in diameter; by posssessing only 

 very doubiful tusks, if any at all; arid by not 

 having, like the Thibet musk, a sac to furnish the 

 perfume from which it derives its name, which 

 has led some naturalists to consider it only a 

 variety of the Antelope. 



We come now to the history of an animal which, 

 from the peculiarity of its structure, and from the 

 important uses to which it is applied, is well de- 

 Serving of your particular notice. I allude to 

 the Camel, one of the chief domestic animals of 

 Arabia and of Northern Africa, and where, from 

 being the only channel of conveyance over the 

 vast seas of sand and desolation peculiar to those 

 countries, and from the local difficulties it has 

 to overcome in the accomplishment of its jour- 

 ney, it has emphatically been denominated by 

 the natives, the Ship of the Desarf.. 



Previously however to our account of this ani- 

 mal, it may be proper to remark, that in the ge- 

 nus to which the Camel belongs, there are in all 

 seven species ; but of these only two may be con- 

 sidered as properly constituting what is familiarly 

 understood by the term, Camel ; and these are 

 the Bactrian Camel, with two hunches on its back, 

 which is peculiar to Central Asia; and the Ara- 



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