The Snyder signal. (Snyder, Tex.) 1887-????, 1920-08-06
have HIGH value
Fnlr South American Animals OF
Great Utility.
TIE Llama In Particular, Well Called
"ship Of the Desert" Is Prized-
Alpaca ls Bred for Its
Splendid Fleece.

When first seeing llama, an alpaca,
q vicuna or a guanaco, In their native
habitat your first comment would be:
800 big for a sheep, too small for n
camel, yet looks like BOTH" while you
might add mentally. as did the yokel
when he saw the giraffe at the circus:
'sTbere 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-
livia southwark along the high Andes
to the plains OF Patagonia and TERN
del Fuego. All are OF the very high
set 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
tSin specialized purposes, or modified
by their environment when left I'M
hampered In their native wilds. Pos
sessIng a head like sheep, sway
ing, curved neck like camel. with
out the camel's hump but drawn In at
the withers like the camel and with the
cancels "wobbly" look, apparently in
securely braced upon its tall, slender
legs. with the camers cushion-like
splay feet. the llamas undoubtedly be-
long to the camel family. They have
the camel's nature, for though more
vigllant than the camel, they possess
the same dull imperturability, and
their identical stubborn, morose dispo-
sition. and seem to consider msn their
hereditary foe, only 10 he obeyed by
compulsion and with splteful splttings
and groans,
The llama family In prehistoric
times had a much wider range than
at present, their fossil remains being
found from the republic OF Colombia
northward 10 Central America and
even as far north as central Colorado.
The llama and alpaca are homestead
ed. the guansco and vlcuna are still In
the wild stste, and this Is one Of the
instances where domesticated animals
range co-existent witt their wild con-
geners. or the four kinds the guiana
CO Is the most numerous, and Is found
IN bands OF = to 200. 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
easilv tanned and readily take TO cap
tivity, and from the wild guanaco and
vlcuna have sprung the domes,icated
llama and alpaca. The alpaca is kept
upon the Wild uplsnds near the eter-
nal SHOWS and Is only driven In TO be
shorn OF Its beautiful fleece OF black
or brown wool. which is so long that
II often falls over its sides and back
like a curling cascade reaching to the
ground.
When Pizarro and his fellow con
qulstadores conquered the aboriginal
Peruvians they found the llama the
only domesticated beast OF burden
Under Spanish domination more than
100000 llamas were used to carry sill
YER from the mines 10 the seacOast, but
the coming of the horse, the burro, and
more than all else. the railway Is grad
ually running II out, as II Is timid and
slow, and can travel with its 1O0pound
pack only IL to II miles n day; yet
II retains n certain advantage. as II is
never fed on the trail, but forages its
own living.