THE ALPACA. 
Auchenia pacos. 
Plate XXYI. 
The extraordinary success which has been obtained for fabrics of the wool of the Alpaca, by the process 
invented and perfected by Mr. Titus Salt, of Bradford, has given extreme interest to the acclimatization ot 
this animal, not in Europe merely, but in Australia, where everything bearing upon the development of the 
wool-trade is of the utmost importance. 
The Huanaco, the Yicugna, the Llama, and the Alpaca (of all of which animals the Society’s collection 
contains living examples), are, according to some writers, four distinct species of the genus Auchenia. 
However this may be, it certainly seems clear that the Huanaco, which is found in a wild state from 
Bolivia to Patagonia, is distinct from the Vicugna, which is limited to Peru. The Llama and Alpaca are 
now known only in a domestic or semi-domestic state; but as the same thing occurs in the case of both 
species of Camel and the Horse, it does not necessarily follow that they have been artificially produced by a 
course of breeding from the Wild Huanaco, or from crosses between the Huanaco and the Yicugna, 
as some authorities maintain, although this is, perhaps, the most reasonable view of the case. 
The main characteristic of the Alpaca is the shortness of its head in comparison with the Llama 
and Huanaco, and the peculiar texture of its fleece, which is different from that of either of the others. 
The Vicugna produces towards the shoulders an extremely beautiful wool, which, when carded, is more 
than double the value of that of the Alpaca, the latter reaching to about seven shillings, and that of the 
Yicugna to fourteen shillings per pound. The very small quantity of wool produced by the Yicugna, and the 
difficulty of breeding the animal will, however, be insuperable obstacles to its being usefully established either 
in Europe or in Australia. 
The Alpaca proved itself extremely prolific under the management of the late Mr. Thompson, while he 
had charge of the late Earl of Derby’s establishment, at Ivnowsley. Had that great collection continued in 
existence for a few years longer, there is little doubt that the herd of Alpacas would have attained a numerical 
strength, which would have rendered us independent of any future importation, except as desirable additions 
of new blood. 
The period of gestation in the Alpaca is eleven months. The females, when in full health, have fawns in 
very rapid succession. This animal varies in colour, like the Llama, being black, brown, white, pied, and 
spotted. The individuals from which the drawing was made are beautiful specimens of the darkest variety, 
and have probably never been surpassed for size or quality. 
The Alpaca is not used in Peru as a beast of burden, like the Llama, but is valued only for its wool, ot 
which the Indian blankets and ponchos are made. Yon Tschudi informs us that it is kept in large flocks, 
which graze on the level heights of the Puna Region of the Andes, at an elevation of from 14,000 to 10,000 feet 
above the sea-level, throughout the whole year. At shearing-time only they are driven to the huts. They 
are in consequence very shy, and run away at the approach of a stranger. 
Yon Tschudi, who strongly maintains the validity of the specific distinctness of the four species of Llamas, 
gives us in his “ Fauna Peruana ” the following account of their geographical distribution: — 
“ The Huanaco extends all over the high plains of the Andean Regions, from Ecuador to Patagonia, 
attaining its maximum in Middle Peru. The Llama, on the other hand, does not range further north than 
the southern half of Peru, and is scarce even in Middle Peru, being most abundant round the mountain-knot 
of Asangara. The Alpaca is confined to Southern Peru and Northern Bolivia. The Yicugna is more widely 
spread, occurring all over Peru, in the southern part of the republic of Ecuador, and down as far as the 
middle of the republic of Bolivia.” 
