Camel

From Encyclopediak

Camel, the typical member of the Camel Family, said by the Arabs to be the greatest gift of Allah. There are two nearly distinct species, the Bactrian camel and the dromedary. The Bactrian camel, distinguished from the dromedary by having two humps instead of one, may be said to be the pack horse of the desert and highlands, for, though it is awkward and has a jolting stride, it can carry packs of from 700 to 1000 Ib. for days at a time, and shows the utmost patience and endurance. The head of the camel is set upon a long neck covered with shaggy hair, and each organ seems particularly fitted for desert life. The prominent eyes are protected from the sun by a heavy lid, the ears are small, the nostrils large, but may be closed at will against the desert sandstorms; the mouth is cartilaginous, having sharp front teeth and exceedingly blunt back teeth; thus the camel is enabled to eat the hard, thorny or cactuslike plants which form the chief vegetation along its routes of travel. The dust-colored body is ungainly, but its humps are true storehouses of nourishment upon which it subsists when food is scarce. Thus the camel driver sees that his beast's humps are in good condition before starting with it upon a hard journey. The long legs of the camel have also adapted themselves to the needs of its life; great callouses have formed at the knees from its continuous kneeling for the adjustment of burdens. Cushions have also appeared upon the feet to prevent their sinking in the sand and to give a springy tread.

The dromedary, which has the one hump, is the race horse of the desert. His coat is finer, his step lighter and his gait more swinging and easy. He is capable, too, of enduring thirst longer, and can travel 70 or 80 m. per day. He is not, however, so well fitted for carrying burdens. The camel, either dromedary or Bactrian camel, has been a boon to the desert peoples; not only has it been the sole means of transportation, but the living animal furnishes fuel and milk, and its hair, which is shed yearly, is suitable for making cloth, ropes and tlie best of paint brushes; dead, it provides leather, flesh and lime. Solitary camels are at rare intervals met upon the Western deserts of the United States. They are supposed to be the remnant of a train introduced by Jefferson Davis when he was secretary of war under President Pierce. Davis believed that camels would prove useful as pack bearers, connecting the West with the East at the time of the rush of gold seekers to California. Although reports from the war department showed that tlie results were satisfactory, the rapid building of railroads to the coast rendered the camel unnecessary, and the last members of the train are said to still wander in lonely exile in the lessening deserts of the West.