CAM 
CAM 
he is taught by experience to regard them 'as the 
munitions of freedom. 
The Camel (being a very docile animal) is eafily 
inftruiled in the methods of taking up and fupport- 
ing it's burden. It's legs are bent imderit's belly 
a fev/ days after it is produced; and in this man- 
ner it is loaded and taught to rife, the burden be- 
ing every day increaftd by infenfible degrees, till 
the animal is capable of fupporting a weight ade- 
quate to it's ftrength. The fame care is taken to ren- 
der it patient of hunger and thirft: while other ani- 
mals receive their food at ftated timies, the Cam.el 
is reflrrained for feveral days together; and tliefe in- 
tervals of famj'ne are increafed in proportion as the 
creature feems capable of fupporting them. By this 
mode of education, it lives five or fix days without 
food or water : and indeed it's ftomach is admirably 
fitted by nature for long abftinence ; for, befides 
the four ilomachs which all animals chewing the 
cud pofxefs, the Camel has a fifth, v/hich ferves as 
a refervoir to contain a greater quantity of water than 
tlie animal has im.mediate occafion for, v/here it re- 
mains v.'ithout either being corrupted or adulte- 
rated by the other alim.ents. Wjien the Camel finds 
itCelf preffed v/ith thirft, it here finds an eafy refource 
for quenching it; and throvv's up a quantity of this 
water, "by a fimple contrailion of the m.ufcles, into 
the other (lomachs, which ferves to macerate it's 
dry food. In this manner, as it drinks but feldom, 
it takes in a large quantity at a time ;' and travellers, 
v/hen parched with thiril, have often difpatched this 
ufeful animal for the fake of - the fluicl it was ex- 
pefted to contain. 
In Turkey, Perfia, Arabia, Barbary, and Egypt, 
the whole commerce of the natives is carried on by 
means of Cam.els; and no carriage is more fpeedy, 
nor can any be lefs expenfive. Merchants and tra- 
vellers unite themielves irito a body, furniflied with 
Camels, to fecure themfelves from the infults of 
thofe robbers who infell the. countries through 
which tliey are to p-afs. Tliis affemblage is called a 
caravan, in wliich the number of itinerants fome- 
times amounts to upwards of ten thoufand, and 
that of Camels to a ftill greater number. Each' of 
thefe animals is loaded according to it's fiiength; 
and fo fenfible is the Camel of it's own ability, that, 
if over burdened, it remains on it's belly, and re- 
fufes to rife till it's .load is apoortioned to it's now- 
ers. In general, a large Cam-el is capable of carry- 
ing a thoufand weight, andfometim.es tv/elve hun- 
dred; while the dromicdary is fufficiently loaded 
with fix or feven. Inuring thefe trading iournies 
they travel but fiowly; and their ftages, which are 
generally regulated, am^ount to about thirty or thir- 
ty-five rniles a day. Each evening, when they ar- 
rive at the place of their deilination, which is ufu- 
ally fome fpot of verdure where water and fnrubs 
abound, the Camicls are permitted to feed at large ; 
and on fucli occafions they eat as much in one hour 
as is fully fufficient to fupport them the fucceeding 
twenty-four. They prefer the coarfefc v/eeds to 
the fofteft paitures; the thifde, the nettle, the cafia, 
and other prickly vegetables, are their favourite 
food : but, as all natural flipplics of provifions are 
accidental during thefe expeditiqns, their drivers 
take care to l^apply them with a kind of pafte com- 
pofition, v/iiich ferves as a permanent nourifh- 
ment. As thefe animals are accudomed to the 
famiC tracers, they are faid to know their way witli 
precifion, and to purfue their journey when tlieir 
guides are utterly auray ; and when they come with- 
in a.fewmiies cftheir ufual baiting-place, they faga- 
cioufly fcent it, increafe their fpeed, and often tro£ 
v^ith additional vivacity to the end of their fxage. 
. Buffon leems to confider the Camel as the mofi: 
domefticated of all animals, and to have moil marks 
of the tyranny of man imprinted on it's form. He 
is of opinion that this creature is not now to be 
found in a fhate of nature ; and that the hump on 
it's back, the callofities on it's bread and legs, and 
even the great refervoir for water, are all marks of 
long fervitude and domedic conftraint. Thefe 
deformities he fuppofes to be perpetuated by ge- 
neration ; and that what at fird v/as the effeft of 
accident, by degrees became natural. Elowever 
this may be, it is certain that the hump on the back 
of the Camel grov/s large in proportion as it is weli 
fed ; and that, if anatomized, it will be found com- 
pofed of a fubdance not diffimilar to the udder of 
a cow. 
Nine out of ten male Camels are ufually caftrat- 
ed; and though this operation may fomewhat en- 
feeble them, it adds to their patience and, doci- 
lity. ■ The female receives the male in a recum- 
bent podure; Ihe goes with young about a year; andj 
like all other large animals, produces but one at a^ 
time. The milk of the Camel is both abundant 
and nutritive; and, mixed with v/ater, makes a 
principal part of the beverage of the Arabians. 
Thefe animals begin to engender when about the 
age of three years, and commonly live to forty or 
fifty. The genital parts of the male relemble 
thofe of the bull, but are placed pointing back- 
wards ; fo that it's urine feems to be ejected in the 
fam.e manner as that o[ the female : and this, as well 
as the dung, and indeed almoft every part of this 
ani-mal, is converted to fome beneficial purpole. 
Of the urine, fal ammoniac is made; and of 
the dung, litter for horfes, and fire for culinary 
ufes. Thus this animal alone feems to comprize 
v/ithin itlelf a variety of qualities, any one of which 
ferves to render other quadrupeds ahfolutely ne- 
cefiluy for the v/elfare of man. Like the elephant, 
it is tradable and ramie ; like the horfe, it gives it's 
rider fecurity; carries greater burdens than the 
ox or the mule; and furnifh.es milk in as great 
abundance as the cow. The fiefh of the young- 
ones is fuppofed to be as delicate as veal; the hair 
is more beautiful, as v/ell as more in requed, than 
wool; and even it's very excrements are applied to 
ufeful purpofcs. 
The Cam.el has a fmall head, fliort ears, and a 
long neck, flcnder and bending. It's height to 
the top of die bunch is about fix feet fix inches ; 
the colour of the hair on the protuberances is duf- 
ky, and that on the other parts is areddifn afli. It 
has a long tail, fixiall hoofs, and flat feet divided 
above, but not quite through. On the legs it has 
fix callofities; one on each knee, another on the in- 
fide of each fore-leg on the uppermod joint, one on 
the infide of the hind-leg at the bottoin of the 
thigh, and another on the lower part of the bread. 
There are feveral varieties of Cam.els : the larged 
and dronged is called the Turkman; the Arabian 
is hardy; and vv'hat is called tiie dromedary, mai- 
hary, and raguahl, is very f'//ift. The common 
fort travel about thirt)- miles a day. Thofe which 
have fmaller hunches, a more delicate diape, and 
are of an inferior fize, are ufed folely for the pur- 
pofe of riding, and never carry burdens; fom.e of 
which, as has been previoufiy obferved, are capa- 
ble of travelling an hundred miles a day. The 
Camels of Afiica are well adapted to tliat parched 
and unpropitious climate by the extreme hardinefs 
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