Part 23

The Camels and Dromedaries, which come first before me, are confined but to a small portion of the earth's surface; they, however, in their more confined sphere afford incalculable benefits. Without them we should not be able to traverse those large plains of sand, which lie between the different countries of Africa, and also of south-western Asia. Their gaunt and angular form does not class them among the beauties to which I have alluded; and the only pretensions which their outward appearance can present for praise, is their admirable adaptation for the offices which they have to perform. Their full, upper lip is cleft, their neck is long, their eyes prominent and shaded with eye-lashes, their nostrils are like slits, which they can close at pleasure; their body has one or two humps on it, their legs have callous pads upon them, their feet are large and spreading, and their hair hangs loosely upon them in patches. That long, upper lip, however, when the hot blast of the desert almost dries their mouth, plunges into the sand and finds momentary relief by getting below the surface; that long ungainly neck raises the head so that the prominent eyes may see objects in the far distance; those nostrils are apertures to the most acute organs of smell, by which they can even ascertain that water is near; those callous pads enable them to kneel when they are to be laden, or mounted, and those ugly humps are provisions of fat, which supply them with nourishment, if, during their long journeys, there is a scarcity of provisions. One of their most invaluable properties is the length of time which they can go without drinking, owing to the large secretion of water in their honeycomb stomach, while in times of intolerable privation, they may be killed, and so save their masters from starvation.

The camel has two humps, the dromedary one; the last is the lightest and the swiftest, and is generally chosen for riding, while the former carries the burdens. High saddles are placed on their backs; and it requires either to be used to them, or to be particularly careful not to be half killed at starting. The rider places himself in the saddle while the animals are kneeling; and, when they raise their hind legs, which they do first of all, they send the unprepared traveller forwards, and his breath is almost taken out of him by the blow which he receives upon his chest; then as they get upon their fore legs they throw him back, so as to endanger his spine. Their pace is at first very disagreeable, being so long and slouching; but, generally speaking, they are extremely docile and affectionate; they, however, will not stir if they think they are overloaded, and if they are made angry, they are furious, especially against each other, quarreling much more frequently with their own species than they do with man. Their owners are always very careful to see that their humps are in good condition before they set off on a journey, and some varieties are preferred to others on account of their being able to bear a longer period of drought. They are generally decorated with bells, the sounds of which, in their desert journeys, are said to be very agreeable to them. If once they fall from fatigue or sickness they seldom rise again; but, as a whole party, particularly when every day's provision of water is measured, cannot be stopped for one, they are left alone to die; their eyes following the masters who are obliged to abandon them, and whom they have served so faithfully; the vultures, already hovering over them, ready to pick their bones as soon as they have sent forth their last breath. Their spine, when again found, is often raised upon a pole, as a charm against the withering spell of the evil eye.

The load of a camel is about 800 lbs., and their usual pace nearly three miles an hour; but at this rate they continue for nine or ten hours. Their colour is chiefly a reddish brown, or grey, rarely black; and occasionally white. They are natives of the countries which they inhabit; the dromedary coming from Arabia and Africa, the camel from the middle of Asia, to the north of the Himalaya mountains. They are said to harbour revenge; but, if this be once gratified, they soon return to good humour.

LLAMAS, ETC.

Llamas are called the camels of the New World, and under this common name are included more than one species. They exist in large herds, and are much more sightly than the animals to which they are compared; their backs are straighter, their heads very handsome, and their fleeces are thick and equal. They will carry a load of 150 lbs., and were the only beasts of burthen found among the Peruvians, when these people were conquered by the Spaniards. Their feet differ from those of the camel, but are equally adapted to the soil which they have to traverse; they are formed of two springy toes, each of which has a rough cushion underneath, and a strong, short hoof on the tip, pointed and hooked, like a claw. These take firm hold of the rapid and precipitous ascents and descents, which they encounter in travelling to and from the mines; in which journeys they carry 100 lbs. of metal over the rugged mountain passes, and perform a distance of about twelve miles during the day. At one time 300,000 were employed by the Potosi mines alone. In one respect they imitate camels by lying down, and refusing to stir when they are overloaded, and they never go beyond their usual pace. They spit in the face of their riders when tied up, or made to lie down; which is particularly disagreeable, from the nature of their saliva.

The different species are not clearly defined, and we require a more intimate knowledge of them before we can separate them from each other: the domestic animals are certainly Llamas; then there are the Guanacos, which are also called Huanacos. They live on mountains, but frequently pasture in the plains; and when the females do this, the males watch from a more elevated position; and if they see men approaching, neigh something like a horse, to warn them of their danger, then descend into the valley, and drive their charge before them.

Besides these two, are the Vicuñas (spelt also Vicunhas), and Vicugnas, who are of a tawny red colour, and live in the bleak, cold parts of mountains, preferring frost and snow. They are remarkably swift and timid, and their wool is very fine and silky.

To these must be added the Paco, or Alpaca, and the Taruga, who are larger, and even swifter than the Vicuñas, and wander about singly, among steep and rocky places. M. Frederic Cuvier thinks there are but three species; the Guanaco, which, in a domestic state, is the Llama; the Paco, or Alpaca; and the Vicuña. I am desirous of dwelling thus much upon these divisions, because the readers of South American travels are often much puzzled by the manner in which they are mentioned.

The Guanacos, when they have plenty of the rushy grass, on which they love to feed, never require any drink, but they have no cells in their stomach for the secretion of water: they are particularly active in throwing out their saliva at the least offence. They give very severe blows with their fore feet: and I have often, with the above gentleman, watched them fight with a fury which was at first laughable, tearing large mouthfuls of hair from each other, and at last obliged to be separated, from the injuries they were likely to give and receive.

The great enemy of these animals is the Puma, and they fly from him; but Mr. Darwin says he has often known them not only neigh and squeak when men approach, but dance and leap about in the most absurd manner. They are easily caught, for they get quite bewildered, when pursued; but they are much bolder when in captivity. They appear to have favourite spots to which they go to die, and which are perfectly white with their bones; this has been observed close to the river Gallego, and elsewhere.

Manufactures from their hair more resemble silk than woolen stuffs, and some of those made of the Alpaca fleece, are quite black, without having been dyed. It has been a matter of surprise to many, that they are not naturalized in this country, as the climate would not be an obstacle to success. The demand, however, for their produce so much, increases, that it is very probable they may at some future time become denizens of our mountainous districts.

DEER.

The elegant animals included under the name of Deer, afford the highest sport to the hunter, the most precious skins, and delicious food. Considering their size, they are matchless in speed and vigour, and are as beautiful as they are swift. They are spread all over the globe, except Australia, and Central and Southern Africa; their place in the latter continent being supplied by giraffes and antelopes. They leave the higher mountains to goats, live on moderate elevations, but delight most in wide, open countries. The fissures, or what are called lachrymals, exist in most of them; they are clefts below the eyes, which bear the name of tear-ducts, but their use is not yet understood. They would not be so much developed as they are in many, unless they bore strongly upon the animal's economy; but they do not communicate with the nose, nor are they, in any way, connected with respiration. They are certainly in relation with glands, because they secrete a greasy fluid, more abundant at some times than at others, when the edges are much swollen; and the animals often touch objects with them, stretching them wide open, doing so, when they are under excitement of any kind.

The muzzles of some deer are nearly flat, and destitute of hair; in others, they are covered with hair, and the upper lip is prehensile.

Only the male deer have horns, or antlers, as they are called, which they shed every year; and, up to a certain age, at every renewal, they increase in size and number of branches. They are placed on a bony pad upon the forehead, which is covered with skin; and in the second year of their age, this skin swells; blood rushes towards the pads, their arteries increase, and rapidly deposit bony matter, the antlers begin to form, the skin increases with them, and continues to cover them, and the large arteries which it carries with it make furrows upon the bony matter, which always remain. So thick and soft is the pile of hair which protects the skin, that it deserves, and has received, the name of velvet. When the antlers have attained their yearly size, the arteries begin to deposit a rough ring of bone round the edges of the pad, which increases till it stops their passage; so that, deprived of its natural nourishment, the velvet shrivels up, dries, and peels off; a process which the deer hastens by rubbing his antlers against trees. The latter are then hard and serviceable, for had they been used and wounded, when their covering was so full of blood, the shock would have sent a rush of it back to the brain, and probably have killed the deer. Before I understood this arrangement, I have seen these animals with wounded horns, and have wondered much at the large flow of blood which issued from them, and others have probably done the same. When the skin is gone, the antlers remain, as it were mechanically, and as it is one of the great laws of life to throw off every thing which is no longer a part of itself, they obey the rule. Absorption takes place beneath the bony ring, particle after particle disappears, and down go the antlers, either from their own weight, or some accidental touch; the part where they stood is quickly covered with skin till spring returns, when a new growth commences, and a larger pair ensues. The common stag loses his antlers early in the spring; and they sprout forth again very soon after.

There is no part of the game laws of various countries more stringent, than that which relates to the killing of deer, or their management. Whatever concerned Venerie, as it was called, was a necessary part of a nobleman's or gentleman's education. The private histories of kings are very much mixed up with the deer laws, and also some of the public transactions; for many a fine has been paid, many a worthy person sent into exile, and many a life lost, in consequence of their infringement; and the technicalities with which the science and the laws were loaded, appear in the present times most absurd and tiresome.

Deer are still to be found wild in Scotland, but most rarely in England; in the north of Europe and America they are common, and those which frequent cold countries have the antlers much flattened, as if to shovel away the snow; they will sometimes weigh 60 lbs. These animals are every where tenacious of life, and will run a long way after being hit in a mortal part.

Rein-deer, which form the wealth of the Laplanders, serve them for food and clothing, draw them over pathless fields of snow in safety, and are the only species really domesticated. They eat a lichen which they find under the snow, during the winter, and live together in large herds. They are the least handsome of the whole tribe; are perfectly obedient, and one man sometimes possesses as many as two thousand. Their joints crack as they move, and they are extremely fond of salt; even taking it from the hands of strangers. They usually run at the rate of ten English miles the hour, but have gone nineteen, and draw a weight of 300 lbs; but they require good driving, and sometimes dash on, perfectly regardless of the comfort of those in the sledge. Their smell is very acute; and by it they are enabled to come up with their party, if they should have been left behind. They suffer intensely from insects, especially from a large species (_oestrus tarandi_), which deposits its eggs in the hole made by its bite. In order to avoid these pests, the rein-deer are driven during the summer months to the mountains which overhang the coasts, where their foes are much less numerous. They are so terrified at their approach, that the sight of one will make them furious.

Mr. Wentzel says that the Dog-rib Indians go in pairs to kill rein-deer, the foremost carrying in one hand the horns and part of the skin of a head of