ORDER VIII. THE RUMINANTIA. 297 



and Eastern Europe was carrieil on l)y tlie agency of these useful animals, 

 which, on this account, have, not inappropriately, been styled "tships of tiie 

 desert." By their labor cities were built up, and adorned with barbaric 

 splendor, and their markets supplied with the productions of all climes. 

 A\'hat the railroad, steamboat, and siiip are to us, so was tlic camel to numer- 

 ous nations, througli long periods of history. 



The great value of the camel for purposes of transportation induced the 

 American government to attempt the propagation of the species in the south- 

 ern, or rather border portions, of the Union, where they might be usefully 

 em[)loyed in carr^-ing army sup^jlies in regions where defective roads render 

 the passage of wagons difficult or impossible. Although it is said the ex- 

 periment promises success, wc apprehend, so swift is the march of improve- 

 ment, that the locomotive and railroad will cross those plains, and [)enetrate 

 those now almost inaccessible wilds, long before the camels shall have 

 become sufficiently numerous to be of much ser\ice. 



Genus AucHExiA. — The Llamas. There is but one species known, the 

 A. Udiim, a native of South America. It is covered with long hair, of a 

 general brown color, and is about three and a half feet high. It is an animal 

 of great strengtii and power of endurance considering its size, is docile and 

 good-tempered, easily domesticated, and is extensively employed in the trans- 

 portation of merchandise through the mountain passes of those southern 

 countries. Like the camel, it seems to have a peculiar fitness for the regions 

 where nature has fixed its home, and for the peculiar wants of man, to whom 

 it so readily surrenders its freedom and renders its services. 



Genus Mosciirs. The Pouched ]\Iusk is tiie most celebrated species. 

 Its size that of a roe. The Thibet musk is found in the mountains of Cen- 

 tral Asia, and is a pleasant-looking, though not a handsome animal. The 

 genus derives its name from tlie odorous secretion known as mask, which 

 is carried in a pecidiar pouch or bag. It is a popular perfume, and is ex- 

 tensively used in all civilized countries. There are several species, some of 

 which are destitute of the musk bag. 



Genus Ceuvus. This lar^e irrouii of ruminants contains the followinn- 



col o 



sub-genera: Alee, the Elks; Ildvcjifer, the Reindeers; Duma, the Fallow 

 Deer ; Eh'phas, Stag proper ; Rasa, the Sauburs of India ; Axis, indige- 

 nous to Bengal, and handsomely spotted with white; C'((preolus, the Roe- 

 bucks; M((za)ii(i, Q\\i\\a.n Deer; Suhido, the Brochets ; and tittjloccrus, 

 the Muntjaks, the smallest of the family.- Our limited space, however, will 

 not allow an extended notice of each. We must be contented with brief 

 descriptions of three of the most prominent, and refer the reader to volume 

 VII. of the " Naturalist's Library " for a detailed account of the re- 

 mainder. 



NO. VIII. 38 



