CAMELS 



that the starved calf might obtain any milk she might 

 have left. 



At the end of some days which elapsed before I received 

 permission to have them killed, during which time every 

 care had been taken to supply the poor creatures with 

 the best and most suitable food, I was delighted to find so 

 marked an improvement in both of them that I deter- 

 mined, if possible, to save their lives ; the abscesses were 

 lanced, the sores and wounds cleansed and dressed, and the 

 skins washed and attended to day and night. In the course 

 of about five weeks the mother was not only able to stand, 

 but to walk slowly about. I then had them photographed, 

 and from that time they continued gradually to improve, 

 the young one more rapidly than the mother ; this may 

 naturally be attributed to its being free of abscesses and 

 wounds. These painful and troublesome annoyances are 

 tedious and very slowly cured. The mother, however, 

 perfectly recovered her health, and so improved in con- 

 dition that I had both her and the calf again photo- 

 graphed. The remarkable change in their appearance 

 cannot be overlooked. The mother regained her hump, 

 which had altogether disappeared when I first saw her 

 and her whole condition was so changed that it was with 

 difficulty she could be recognized as the animal photo- 

 graphed less than a year before. 



With reference to the calf, its growth was most extra- 

 ordinary, encouraged by the good food and kind treatment 

 of the keepers who attended to it. I may add that both 

 mother and young one were, for camels, exceptionally quiet 

 and good-tempered. I have not the slightest hesitation 

 in saying that it is my opinion that the harsh and cruel 

 treatment to which most camels are subjected, by their 

 brutal drivers, renders them the troublesome and, as a 

 rule, disagreeable creatures they are to manage. 



