THE LLAMA. 527 



discharging a shower of half-digested food and saliva over the offender. 

 Formerly, this salival discharge was thought to be acrid, and capable of 

 raising blisters upon the human skin. This, however, is fortunately not 

 the case, although the assault is eminently disagreeable, on account of 

 the ill scent of the ejected liquid. In its wild state the Guanaco seems 

 to have little or no idea of resistance, being easily held by a single dog 

 until the hunter can come up and make sure of his prize. But in domes- 

 ticated life, it seems to imbibe a spirit of combativeness, for it will kick 

 with both hind legs, and deliver severe blows with the knees of those 

 limbs* With his rivals the male fights desperately, with teeth and feet. 



The Guanaco is hunted for its flesh and hide; it is pursued by dogs- 

 driven to bay, and then lassoed. In the lowlands they are often killed 

 by the gun. A wounded Guanaco at once hastens to a river, in order to 

 die on its banks ; indeed they all, when they feel death approaching, 

 seem to seek certain definite places. " On the banks of the Santa Cruz,' 

 Darwin writes, "the ground beneath the bushes was white with bones. 

 These bones were not broken or gnawed, and could not therefore have 

 been dragged there by beasts of prey. The Guanacos had crept there 

 to die." The Guanaco cannot be domesticated. When quite young it 

 can be taught to follow its master like a dog, but when it grows old 

 it uses every effort to escape. It can be easily kept in captivity. 



THE LLAMA. 



The Llama, Auchenia llama (Plate XXXIX), is found most abun- 

 dantly in Peru. It is larger than the Guanaco, and is distinguished by 

 possessing callosities on the breast and fore-knee. Its color varies ; 

 white, black, piebald, skewbald, dark-brown, fox-red, and even yellowish 

 animals have been seen. The Llama is of the greatest service ; it not 

 only supplies food, but transports all merchandise. Its usual load is one 

 hundred and fifty pounds, but some will carry a hundred pounds more. 

 It can march at the rate of ten leagues a day for five days in succession. 

 Its gait is so steady, that little fastening is requisite to keep the load on 

 its back. About three hundred thousand are in constant use for bringing 

 silver bars from the mines to the smelting works, and carrying back 

 provisions. Acosta writes : " I have often wondered at the sight of 

 these herds of sheep transporting two or three thousand bars of silver, 

 worth three hundred thousand ducats, without any other attendance 



