The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-13

camel. IL does not Split when on slim
perry ground though IL falls on moist wet
clay which yields TO the foot. on ice
ana frozen snow II stands firmly. aud can
""V~i TAR. partly because It has develop
ca harder footpad than the Southern sne-
cies' and partly because n has n l,ind
ol claw toe projecting beyond the pad of
the root. II is said that the eross no
tween the male Bactrian and the female
ARABIAN camel Is among the best but that
Wheh the parentage Is reversed the prog-
ehS Is useless. Maj Leonard. who notes
TINS belief of camel breeders states that
many years ago Gen Harlan marched . 600
bactrlah camels 400 miles, crossed the In
ulan caucasus In ice and snow. and lost
oniy one animal and that by an accident.
me superiority of the northern over The
southern camel can be accounted TO-. -,
logical grounds. on the high plateaus
steppes and deserts of MONGOLIA ana south
siberia, the camel Is in its native home
mere on the plain of Tsaidam. tha villa
camel has at last been found; and In tbIs
ara, cold and waterGss region vyh.re
nerds are said to travel seventy miles to
drink II stir maintains itself. though the
Iartafs XIII IL for its flesh and skin. prof
Valski, while doing Justice 10 the endur-
ance and hardness of the Bactrian camel
insists too much on It's affinity with the
Wild species. IF confined in an inclosura
although supplied with the best Of food.
the camel will pine and die" he writes
rms Is not correct, for the Bactrian camel
thrVes an a small Enclosure at the 400.
and, If not overfed lives long and use
fully IN menagerles 1t can also stand a
sea voyage. Nothing but too much com.
Tort or damp climate seems to hurt IT,
FOR food IL prefers dry salty plants and
bushes, and grows sick and lean on good
pasture The ga1frr a0lnrapaa,,1, IL.
steppes Is eagerly eaten by it. and in this
country IL prefers dry food especially
wheat straw and hay. Prejvalski's cam
els would eat almost anythng-straw
bleached bones, old pack saddles, straps
and leather The Mongols told him OF
camels which had been without food for
n long time and then devoured an old
tent belonging to their owner. They even
ate meat and fish, and one of the travsl-
er's camels made a meal of the bird skins
ready for stufiing.
The strongest proof that this is q beast,
made to endure, not heat but cold, not
the hot sands but the frozen SHOWS, Is the
method Of management adopted by the
Mongol owners of The herds. Nothing will
induce an experienced Mongol to under
take a journey on camels In the hot sea-
SON" writes Prejvalski But from the
end of September throughout the winter
they cross deep snow, climb mountains
and perform services unequaled by any
other animal. They carry tea chests
weighing from four to five hundred
weight, can scale passes 1900 feet above
the sea level-Prejvalskrs camels crossed
eight Of these in a journey OF $50 miles
and are driven Ia carts and ridden. In
summer they are watered every forty
eight hours, In winter they can do with
out water for eight days. They are not
only hardy, but long-lived A Mbngol
camel begins to earn his living at years
old. and will carry the same burden until
from Is to 30. Some live 10 be useful for
some years beyond this limit. In the tea
caravans from Kalgan the camels make
two journeys each winter and earn q per
camel. AS most Of their food is picked
up en- route, this leaves a good profit to
the Mongol owners. Though these camels
are owned in hundreds OF thousands by the
tribes of Central Asia, and are constantly
in movement by the caravan routes. the
direction of them Is almost always from
east TO west or west 10 east, and the car
avans do not enter China beyond the linn
It's of the steppe. This accounts for their
being out of touch with all English trade
and travel, aud renders II difficult 10 I'M
derstand whence Mr.. Hagenbeck can get
as many as he pleases. The answer is
at Tihis. This Is the terminus of the car
AVIAN route and the present Western limit
Of the wanderings of the Bactrian camel.
There they come in thousands every year,
arriving IN the depth of winter and leaving
before the SHOWS melt on the Southern
slope Of the Caucasus. There after the
caravans have unloaded. the camels can
be bought cheap and be shipped from the
Black sea coast, to which they are brought
either by rail or road.