A Natural History for Young People: Our Animal Friends in Their Native Homes: including mammals, birds and fishesHumphreys, Phebe Westcott
History
A Natural History for Young People: Our Animal Friends in Their Native Homes: including mammals, birds and fishes
Humphreys, Phebe Westcott
Natural history -- Juvenile literature
THE PACA.
[Illustration: PACA.]
The Paca inhabits similar localities to the former. It may be recognized
by the development of its hair, which is of a tawny-brown color, very
long, and falling on each side of the body in long locks.
The Paca is gentle and timid, and allows itself to be led about by those
who feed and tend it; but if a stranger attempts to take liberties with
it, it kicks viciously, or ejects its saliva over him. Its food is
similar to that of Sheep; and its wool is very fine, elastic and long.
THE VICUNA.
The Vicuna is the smallest species of the Llama genus. It is the same
size as a Sheep, and strongly resembles the Llama, only that its shape
is more elegant. Its legs, which are longer in proportion to the body,
are more slender and better formed; its head is shorter and its forehead
wider. Its eyes are large, intelligent and mild; its throat is of a
yellowish color, while the remainder of its body is brown and white.
The rich fleece of this animal surpasses in fineness and softness any
other wool with which we are acquainted. In order to obtain possession
of the skin the American hunters pursue them even over the steepest
summits of the Andes, when, by driving, they force them into pens,
composed of tightly stretched cords, covered with rags of various
colors, which frighten and prevent the prey attempting to escape. One of
these battues sometimes produces from five hundred to a thousand skins.
THE MUSK DEER.
Although it belongs to the Deer family, the little Musk Deer is often
classified with this group because it is without horns, and resembles
the Camel family in its teeth and other characteristics. This is a
graceful little animal, about the size of a half-grown Fawn of our
common Deer. Its tail is very short, and it is covered with hair so
coarse and so brittle that it is almost like bristles, but what
especially distinguishes it, is its pouch filled with the substance so
well known in medicine and perfumery under the name of musk.
The Musk Deer is a native of the mountainous region between Siberia,
China and Thibet.
THE HORNED RUMINANTS.
The family of Common Ruminants form a natural group comprehending the
greatest number of Ruminants. The feature which distinguishes the
animals composing it, not only from the Camel family, but also from all
the other Ruminants, is the existence of two horns on the forehead of
the male, and sometimes on the female.
The structure of these horns presents various differences, and has
caused the division of this large and important family into three
tribes, namely, Ruminants with hairy and permanent horns, hollow-horned
Ruminants and Ruminants which shed their horns.
RUMINANTS WITH HAIRY AND PERMANENT HORNS.
[Illustration: GIRAFFE.]
This tribe consists of a single genus, that of the Giraffe, which has
also but one species.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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