574 
THE SAVAGE WORLD. 
The Vicugna, or Vicuna (. Auchenia vicugna ), is a member of the family 
whose size is intermediate between that of the alpaca and the llama. The 
vicugna is more shapely, and for coloring is marked with reddish-yellow above, 
white for the lower portion of the body and for the breast, except on the 
nnderpart of the neck and the inside of the legs where ochre prevails. The 
animal is polygamous and moves about in small herds which all belong to the 
family of the male. The head of the family is expected to keep watch over 
the safety of his flock, and to ad\dse them of the approach of danger. The 
vicugna has one quality in common with the turkey : after having been cor- 
raled, and when confined by no barrier which it could not leap, it will make no 
effort to jump, 
being seemingly 
dazed by flutter¬ 
ing rags tied to 
the encircling 
boundary of 
rope. The In¬ 
dians hunt the 
vicugna with a 
sort of com¬ 
bination of 
hand-ball and 
of lasso. It con¬ 
sists of three 
stones fastened 
to strings, 
which, in turn, 
are fastened to 
each other. The 
hunter who is 
skilful, holds on 
to one string 
and its shot or 
stone, and 
throws the 
others so as to 
tangle up the j 
legs of the vi- i 
cugna , whose 
hide and flesh are both valued. The vicugna , as well as the llama and the 
guanaco, was frequent in ecclesiastical legends of the Peruvian church, and any 
one not acquainted with Prescott’s “ Conquest of Peru,” will take pleasure in 
reading what the American historian has to say about the animal. 
Among its other enemies, the condor is most dreaded, as the great bird 
pursues the vicugna , and, seizing upon the head, plucks out its eyes, and the 
blinded animal soon after dashes itself to death among the mountain fastnesses 
where it is confined. 
The Paco, or Alpaca (, Auchenia pacos ) is the most sheep-like of the Auche- 
nias, and is kept in large flocks on the elevated plains of the Andes, tended by 
the Hama {Auchenia llama). 
