302 UNGULATA 
and the sportsman, even though he should be mounted. Despite 
their timidity, however, they are possessed of great curiosity, and 
will sometimes advance within a comparatively short distance of an 
unknown object, at which they will gaze fixedly till they take 
alarm, when they effect a speedy retreat. Their cry is very peculiar, 
being something between the belling of a deer and the neigh of a 
horse. It would be difficult to overestimate their numbers upon 
the Patagonian plains; for in whatever direction we walked we 
always came upon numbers of portions of their skeletons and 
detached bones.” 
Darwin, who has given an interesting account of the habits of 
the Guanaco in his Natwralist’s Voyage, says that they readily take 
to the water, and were seen several times at Port Valdes swimming 
from island to island. 
The Llama is only known as a domestic animal, and is chiefly 
met with in the southern part of Peru. Burmeister, a very com- 
petent writer on the subject, says that he is perfectly satisfied that 
it is the descendant of the wild Guanaco, an opinion opposed to 
that of Tschudi. It generally attains a larger size than the 
Guanaco, and is usually white or spotted with brown or black, 
and sometimes altogether black. The earliest and often-quoted 
account of this animal by Agustin de Zarate, treasurer-general of 
Peru in 1544, will bear repeating as an excellent summary of the 
general character and uses to which it was put by the Peruvians at 
the time of the Spanish conquest. He speaks of the Llama as a 
sheep, observing, however, that it is camel-like in shape though 
destitute of a hump :— 
“Tn places where there is no snow the natives want water, and 
to supply this they fill the skins of sheep with water and make 
other living sheep carry them; for, it must be remarked, these 
sheep of Peru are large enough to serve as beasts of burden. They 
can carry about one hundred pounds or more, and the Spaniards 
used to ride them, and they would go four or five leagues a day. 
When they are weary they lie down upon the ground; and as there 
are no means of making them get up, either by beating or assisting 
them, the load must of necessity be taken off. When there is a 
man on one of them, if the beast is tired and urged to go on, he 
turns his head round and discharges his saliva, which has an un- 
pleasant odour, into the rider’s face. These animals are of great 
use and profit to their masters, for their wool is very good and fine, 
particularly that of the species called Pacas, which have very long 
fleeces ; and the expense of their food is trifling, as a handful of 
maize suffices them, and they can go four or five days without 
water. Their flesh is as good as that of the fat sheep of Castile. 
There are now public shambles for the sale of their flesh in all parts 
of Peru, which was not the case when the Spaniards came first 3 for 
