272 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 
between ten and twenty heads. ... The animals in most cases must have crawled, before 
dying, beneath and amongst the bushes.” 
THE LLAMA 
This is the first of the two domesticated offshoots of the guanaco, the other being the 
Alpaca. The LLAMA is a larger beast than the guanaco, and variable in colour. The ancient 
Peruvians bred it as a beast of burden or for riding, and before the Spanish conquest kept 
it in enormous numbers. Soon after the Spanish conquest “it was not uncommon to meet 
droves of from 300 to 500, or even 1,000 llamas, each laden with silver ingots, and the 
whole in charge of a single native... . Only the male llamas were used as beasts of 
burden, while the smaller females were kept for their milk and flesh. In traveling along 
the roads, the droves marched in single file, under the guidance of a leader; and such a line 
would traverse the highest passes of the Cordillera, and skirt the most stupendous precipices 
with perfect safety. . . . The Spanish conquerors of Peru spoke of llama-flesh as being fully 
equal to the best mutton, and they established shops in the towns for its regular sale. At 
the time of the conquest it is estimated that upwards of 300,000 Ilamas were employed in 
the transport of the product of the mines of Potosi alone.” 
THE ALPACA 
This animal is bred solely for the sake of its wool, which is of great length and fineness. 
From it is made the well-known fabric which bears, in consequence, the name “ alpaca.” 
The alpaca is kept in herds on the high grounds of Bolivia and South Peru, whence 
it is annually driven down to be sheared. The Incas dyed the wool—which is of two 
qualities, a fine and a coarse — with bright colours, and made it up into cloth or blankets, as. 
the occasion served. 
The earliest account of this animal is by Augustin de Zarate, the Treasurer-General of 
Peru in 1544. He speaks of the beast asa sheep; but since he describes it as camel-like in 
shape, though devoid of a hump, there can be no doubt that it is the lama he is describing. 
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LLAMAS 
Largely used as beasts of burden in Peru, where these and the alpaca were formerly the only domesticated ruminants 
