The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-02-13

than WIS tie pro or fore camel. and great deal
more SO than those strange E0ceac creatures
from the same region. in whom mammalian
brd-ii5c. and TeFtilian features were united
and whose skeletons as they stand restored in
museums d comparative anaf0my, look % like
aiscas left 70 pine away Ia an altered world, p
g. SiebuTh remarks. Here, however. the cir
eUf1sianccs Of life prevented q development
ike that which took place ia Asia and Africa
ard the only representatives Of lyiOpoda which
THIS hemisphere produced were the wild qua
iIacO and g.cuna. aud the dOnIesticatcd llama
and alpaca DOW found AZ high attitudes on the
Carl l.Cras 81 the west coast Of South America
Besides the earliest fossil camel, however. aud
Tie. - % speak, degenerate forms of This fam
iiy who survive on the Aadcs, the unrecon-
siFucted strata 0! the later Tertiary yield a
great variety Of remains Of this class. These
ancestors o. the CaEneiida, as Wallace remarks
iuhablt a region where caMcis do not now ex-
isi. aud yet they were 30 placed geographically
that if tie conditions Of existence had not been
uAiarora5le they ~ GIT Aave spread themselves
Indefinitely. and assumed the highest forms
Nh.cl the iYpe Is capable Of attaining.
IL E reasonable % suppose that these struct-
uTal specializatlons for ecOuomizing the fluids
% ibe body aud enabling The animal 10 SUPPORT
itself Tor a considerable timc-th0agn not 50
long a. iG generally supposed
WITHOUT WATER,
are among The fnal dihereutiat.ous 10 which Il
VS. subjected during us adjustment 70 tie
arid regions it Inhabited. al rumiuautg have
compound stomacbg. bat tic rumeE Of the
camel is supplied with Watcr-cciis," which
contain the aqueous matter expressed from
l"odi moreover. the extremity Of the nose,
which Is covered with hair Is split By q fsslre
b. tie middle That communicates with the
mouth, aud connected with grooves leading
from Tie n0slrils. while these latter which are
Piace9 ob5qEu!y, may also be closed by con-
sifIctcr muscles against thc entrance Of hot
Wind Or sand. Finally the Camelida have
Oval blood cofpHsclcs. feature whose physiO-
logical significance - unknown, but which dis
tingulshes them from al! other mammals Be-
ginning with the AHchcnia. rs the genus
including the American species Is called. the
gHanac0 and yicuna arc found ia the wild
stale. either o. tie higA Andes or upon their
southern slopes where the mean temperature
is ly@, while tic alpaca aud Hama which
Ray be The progeny Of tic former, altered as Is
often tic case by dOmesiicttiOu. have served as
beasts q burden and wool producing animals
~ races which Ecre IN stu as long ago as tile
ancient Egyptians aud possibly much longer.
These species, since they are usually 50 re-
garced, are al much less iu size than their
allies u the Eastern hemisphere. They have
40 hgmp like the camel and except the large
head aud elongated ears and neck, present ac-
cOfalbR 10 X. Ramsay wright, q decidedly
slecpIikc' appearance. The coat Is also much
more abundant tiau la Cauclus drolnedarius
o. even the Bacirian species Of Central Asia
and they exhibit other minor differences
from the former animals. Like these how
ever, when ia tie wild state, they are gre.
garl0us, arc exceedingly shy aud wary, possess
extreme acutencgs OF hearing, and on the
ground they commonly occupy, would be unap.
lfOachaDie but for their curiosity. which g. 0.
course taken advantage Of 10 destroy them
During tie rutting season that is 10 say, IN
August and September-thc males In guanacc
herds fight great deal with each other, aud as
they have the same kind Of aceraiing teeth
which are characteristic ia IylOpOda, the
wounds inflicted are consequently very severe
Darwin found the guanaccs VI Patagonia to 81
bold aud strong swimmers. aud Capt. Mustefs ia
common with most other Observers has recorded
their activity and heetness Of foot But one
calf is born, as a rule, after IL months gesta.
tion, which is not Neaned until the lfth
mouth.
On the elevated plateaus Of Peru and Be.
iigia the llama, perhaps but q considerably.
changed descendant Of the quanaco, Is used d
carrier. IL is smaller than the latter, which
m lis largest form Is four feet high At the
shoulder and measures from seven 10 eight feet
IA length, but is a short-c0upied, muscular ami.
mai; OF at least such is the conformation Of fhS
male who alone is used MS a beast Of burden
and is quite capable Of carrying from 100 Il