386 MR. O.THOMAS ON UNGtFLATES. [Juiie 16, 



the wild and domestic forms of Lama bear to each other, the most 

 generally received "view ^ being that the large burden-bearing Llama 

 {Lama glama, Linn.) is the domestic race of the large wild species, 

 the Huanaco {Lama hvMnachus, Mol. ^), and that the smaller wool- 

 bearing Alpaca {Lama pacos, L.) bears a similar relationship to the 

 Vicu.:na {Lama vicugna, Mol. ^). 



After a careful study of the external characters, skulls, and teeth 

 of all the four forms, I have come to the conclusion that this sugges- 

 tion is untenable in one respect, namely as to the origin of the 

 Alpaca, which appears really to be, like the Llama, a descendant of 

 the Wild Huanaco*. Its size, although less than that of the Llama, 

 is far greater than that of the Vicugna; its skull and teeth wholly 

 agree with those of the former, and the naked patches on the legs, 

 so distinctive of the Huanaco as compared with the Vicugna, are very 

 often, although not always, present, the exceptions being easily 

 explainable in the case of an animal bred and selected for generations 

 solely with an eye to the thickness and extent of its furry coyenng. 

 The occasional growth of the fur over the patches is not therefore 

 to be wondered at. 



The probabilities also are much in favour of the Peruvians having 

 domesticated one wild species only rather than two, and of their 

 having gradually developed two races out of it, the one large, strong, 

 and suitable for the carriage of burdens, and the other smaller in 

 size but exceptional in its capacity for producing a quantity of useful 

 wool. 



As to the nomenclature of the different races, it may be claimed 

 that as the Llama, Alpaca, and Huanaco are all looked upon zoologi- 

 cally as one species, the earliest name for any of them {Camelus glama, 

 L.) should be used for that species as a whole. It appears, however, 

 to be infinitely better that in this, as in other similar cases, the 

 original name should be used for the domestic race, to which it was 

 originally given, whether the wild race of the same species is after- 

 wards discovered with certainty or not. Thus Capra hircus, Linn. 

 (1766), antedates C.cegayrus, Gmel. (1789), but it would only be a 

 source of confusion, without any benefit, were the Linnean name 

 applied to the genuine Wild Goat. 



On this principle therefore the different members of the Llama 

 group should be : — 



^ Vide Burmeister, Eepubl. Argent, iii. pp. 457-8 (1879) ; and Flower, Encycl. 

 Brit. (9) xiv. p. 738 (1882). 



2 Sagg. S. N. Chili, ed. 1, p. 317 (1782). 



' Tom. uit. p. 313. 



* This conclusion has been (with my entire knowledge and consent) utilized 

 in Messrs. Flower and Lydekker's recent work on the Mammalia (p. 303). I 

 think it better, however, still to publish the notes that I had previously written 

 on the subject, as giving the reasons for an opinion which I am glad to have 

 confirmed by two such able authorities. The same view was also suggested 

 (with a query) by Sundevall (K. Vet. Ak. Handl. 1845, p. 292) ; but as he had 

 not even seen a specimen of the Alpaca, his suggestion must be looked upon as 

 a lucky shot. 



