THE LIFE OF MAMMALS 
pace, gazing eagerly around on every side. When resting they make a 
peculiar humming noise, which, when proceeding from a numerous flock ata 
distance, is like a number of olian harps sounding in concert. The Indians 
are very fond of these animals. They adorn them by tying bows of ribbon to 
their ears, and hanging bells round their necks; and before loading they 
always fondle and caress them affectionately. If, during a journey, one 
of the llamas is fatigued and lies down, the arriero kneels beside the animal 
and addresses to it the most coaxing and endearing expressions. But not- 
withstanding all the care and attention bestowed on them, many llamas 
perish on every journey to the coast, as they are not able to bear the warm 
climate.” Squier, in his ‘Peru,’ gives other interesting details. 
A large llama stands about three feet high to the shoulder and 
four and a half feet to the top of the head. It may be of almost 
any color, but is usually brown or a mixture of yellow and black, 
frequently speckled, rarely quite white or black. The flesh is 
spongy, coarse, and not of agreeable flavor; and the animal has 
an extraordinary defensive habit of spitting forcibly at any person 
or animal offending it — ejecting not only saliva, but the 
contents of its stomach; and the discharge is likely to injure 
a man’s eyes severely. The hair or wool is inferior to that of 
the alpaca, but is used for similar purposes; that of the female 
is the finer. The llama has been introduced with the alpaca 
into Australia, but has never become generally useful. 
The paco or alpaca is a smaller variety, mostly confined to 
Peru and adjacent provinces of Chile, where it is bred for the 
sake of its fleece. In the prehistoric days, as now, 
the Indians herded it in great semidomesticated flocks 
in the loftiest valleys, where these animals have formed interest- 
ing instincts and habits of vigilance and protection against 
sudden storms and snowfalls. 
Alpaca. 
“Once a year the Indians drive their flocks to stone inclosures or huts 
and shear the wool, after which the flocks are again turned loose. This 
custom is prehistoric, and it is stated that many of the shearing huts 
about Lake Titicaca have stood there since long before the Spanish con- 
quest. The alpaca’s coat consists of a thick growth of woolly hair, 
varying from black to gray or yellowish, and reaching, when unshorn, a 
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