OPENING ADDEESS. 13 



milder and of more quiet habits, is of a fiery disposition 

 and ready to avenge any affront. 



" The Vicuna is the smallest of the four kinds, measur- 

 ing 2 feet 10 inches at the withers. The neck is long, the 

 ears moderately so. The wool is shortest on the neck and 

 limbs : on the body it is three inches in length ; and along 

 the lower part of the sides numerous hairs of double that 

 length are intermixed with the wool, and wave lightly 

 over the undercovering, to which they, form a sort of 

 fringe. The colour is always buff or fawn and, as in the 

 Guanaco, never varies. The Vicuna is a very timid 

 animal, always wandering to the furthest limits of its 

 enclosure, seeking further liberty : it is very nimble, light 

 and active, fond of solitude, and perfectly harmless. The 

 wool is of the finest texture, greatly surpassing even that 

 of the Alpaca, and has lately been used as a substitute 

 for the fur of the beaver. 



" The Llama is the largest and strongest built of the four 

 kinds, standing about 3 feet 9 inches high at the shoulder. 

 The colour varies so considerably in different individuals, 

 that the five living examples now at Knowsley are each of 

 a different colour; but the variations, though so great, are 

 generally merely variations of one colour, brown ; in some 

 specimens there is more or less of pure white on different 

 parts of the animal. The wool is coarse, unfit for finer 

 fabrics, and seldom more than 12 inches long : it covers 

 the lower part of the neck and the whole of the body, 

 leaving the head and legs clothed with only a short fur. 

 The ears are longer in proportion than those of the Alpaca, 

 and rather more curved towards each other. Its temper 

 is always mild and gentle. 



" The Alpaca is much smaller than the Llama, and more 

 slenderly built, standing about 3 feet 2 inches high at the 

 shoulder. The colour varies, but not so much as in the 



