The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1920-07-03
HAVE HIGH VAL
Four South American Amir
Great Utility.
The Llama in Particular, Well n
"Ship of the Desert" Is PrA
Alpaca Is Bred for it4
Splendid Fleece.

When first seeing a llama, an alpacH,
a vicuna or a guanacO, in their nativ
habitat your first comment would be:
TOO big for a sheep, too small for
camel, yet looks like BOTH while yOu
might add mentally, as did the yOkel
when he saw the giraffe at the circus:
There amt no such animal" These
extraordinary creatures, little known
outside of the southern Andean re-
gion of South America. have theii
range from southern Ecuador through
the elevated plateaus of Peru and BO-
livia southwark along the high Andes
to the plains of Patagonia and TERRA
del Fuego. All are Of the very high
est utility for mems needs for food and
clothing.
The four are merely different breeds
Of the same race. varying only as they
have been bred in domestiCity for Ger
tiRin specialized purposes, or modi1ed
by their environment when left I'M
hampered in their native wilds. POS
sessing a head like a sheep. sway
Ing, curved neck like q camel, with
| ont the camel's hump hut drawn IN at
the withers like the camel and With the
camel's "wObbly" look, apparently In
securely braced upon its tall. slender
| legs. with the camerS cuShi0n-llke
| splay feet. the llamaS undoubtedly be-
long to the camel family. They have
! the camel's nature. for though more
vigilant than the camel, they possess
the same dull imperturahility, and
their identical stubborn. mOrOse dispo-
sitiOn, and seem to consider man their
hereditary foe, only to he Obeyed bE
commission and with spiteful spittings
and groans,
The llama family I'm prehistoric
times had a much wider range thah
at present. their fossil remains being
found from the republic of Colombia
northward to Central America AMI
even as far north as central Colorado.
The Hama and alpaca are homestead
ed. the guanacO and vicuna are still In
the wild state. and this is one of the
instances where dOmesticated animals
range co-existent with their wild con-
ganers. OF the four kinds the guiana
co Is the most numerous. and is found
, in hands of to ZOO. and while con-
) fined to the high table lands elsewhere.
In Patagonia their range is over the
plains and lower lands as well.
, Both the guanacO and vicuna are
, easily tanned and readily take to cap
tivity. and from the wild guanacO and
, vicuna have sprung the dOmeSticateC
, llama and alpaca. The alpaca is KEPT
upon the wild uplands near the eter
: nal SHOWS and is only driven in to bt
I shOrn of It's beautiful fleece of blacf
= or brown wool. which is so long thai
II often falls over its sides and bacl
n like a curling cascade reaching to TN
{ ground.
| When PizarrO and his fellow con
I uuistadOres conquered the ahorigina
l. Peruvians they found the llama tn
V only demonstrated beast of burden
n Under Spanish domination more thai
II 100000 Ilamas were used to carry ST
l. yer from the mines TO the seacOast. Du
g the coming of the horse. the hurro. an
more than all else. the railway Is grao
5. uaIly running II out. as II Is ttmid an
2. slow. and can travel with its 1N-p0un
K pack only II TO Is miles day; We
II retains n certain advantage. as 1t
IT never fed on the trail, but fOrages II
l own living.