Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1920-08-05
have HIGH VALUE
Four South American Animals OF
Great Utility.
The Llama In Particular, Well Called
"Ship Of the Desert" is Priced
Alpaca Is Bred for Its
Splendid Fleece.

When first seeing llama. an alpaca.
a yicuna or a guanaco. In their native
habitat your first comment would be:
TOO big for a sheep. TOO small for a
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 their
range from southern Ecuador through
the elevated plateaus Of Peru and Bo-
llyia southwark along the high Andes
TO the plains OF Patagonia and Tierra
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
tain specialized purposes. or modified
by their environment when left I'M
hampered i'm their native wilds. Pos
sessing a head like a sheep, a sway
Ing. curved neck like a camel, with
ont the camers hump but drawn In at
the withers like the camel and with the
came's ''wObbly" look, apparently In
securely braced upon its tall. slender
legs. with the camel's cushion-like
splay feet. the llamas undoubtedly be-
long TO the camel family. They have
the camers nature. for though more
vigiant than the camel. they possess
the same dull lmperturability, and
their identical stubborn. mOrose dispo-
sition. and seem 10 consider man their
hereditary foe. only to be obeyed by
c0mpulsion and with spiteful splttings
and groans.
The llama family in prehistoric
times had much wider range than
at present, their fossil remains being
found from the republic OF Colombia
nOrthward to Central America and
even as far north as central Colorado.
The llama and alpaca are domesticat-
ed the guanaco and vicuna are still in
the wild state. and this Is one of the
instances where domesticated animals
range co-exlstent with their wild con-
geners. or the four kinds the guiana
co is the most numerous, and is found
I'm bands of 3 TO 500, and while con-
fined to the high tableslands elsewhere.
I'm Patagonia their range Is over the
plains and lower lands as we'll El
Both the guanaco and vicurfa are
easily tanned and readily take to cap
tlvity and from the wild guanaco and
vicuna have sprung the domesticated
llama and alpaca. The alpaca is kept
upon the wild uplands near the eter-.
nal SHOWS and is only driven. in TO he.
shorn of its beautiful fleece of black
or brown wool. which is so long that
It often falls over its sides and back
like a curling cascade reaching to the
ground f.s fle65.C 10 5El3 % 81
When PizTro and his fellow con-
qulstadores conquered the aboriginal
Peruvlans they found the Hama the
only domesticated beast of burden.
Under Spanish domination more than
100000 llamas were used to carry sill
yer from the mines TO the seacoast. but
tile coming OF the horse. the burro, and
more than all else. the railways grad
ually running It out. as II is tlmid and
slow. and can travel with its 100-pound
pack only l. to - miles day; yet
Il retains a certain advantage. as 1t is
never led on the trail, but forages its
own living.