"If the guanacos are grazing singly on the plains the chances of overtaking them are doubtful, even for the swiftest and strongest dogs. But when a herd is being chased each animal tries to crowd into the centre of it, and so much confusion is caused that the aggregate speed is considerably diminished. Knowing this, the dogs are always eager to pursue a herd, while they look with indifference upon a solitary guanaco." [Illustration: THE VICUNA.] When the subject of llamas and their kindred was under discussion, Frank suggested that it would be a good plan to introduce the llama into the United States, and wondered why it had not been done. Visions of a Llama Stock Company filled his mind, but they were dispelled by Dr. Bronson, who said the experiment had been tried, and was a failure. "When was it made?" the youth inquired. "In 1857," was the reply; "and the singular fact is that the difficulty in adapting the llama to our country is that the food he obtains is too good for him. What we give to our cattle and sheep does not seem to agree with him; he prefers inferior grasses, together with pea-vines, bean-stalks, straw, and such things, which our cattle would starve upon; and where he has been turned out to graze in low regions he invariably suffers from disease of the skin. In 1857 somebody shipped seventy-two of these animals from Peru to New York; only thirty-eight lived to reach the city, and were wintered on a farm on Long Island. In the spring those that remained were sold for museums and menageries, and some of them were sent to Australia. It is quite possible that the llama would thrive on the great plains between the Missouri River and the Rocky Mountains; the only difficulty would be in protecting the herds from the lawless hunters until they had become sufficiently numerous and wild to take care of themselves as the antelopes do." [Illustration; INDIANS AND LLAMA AMONG THE RUINS.] After a glance at the town, with its open market and massive cathedral, our friends strolled to the shore of the bay on which Puno is built. It is a sluggish body of water, fringed all around with _tortora_ or rushes, which grow profusely, and serve many purposes. They are used for making baskets, lining the walls of houses, filling beds, thatching roofs, and in other ways are of material advantage to the inhabitants of the region bordering the lake. They are an important item of fuel, though they burn too quickly to give off much heat; cattle feed upon these rushes, and as our friends stood on the shore of the bay they saw cows and oxen in the water nearly up to their backs, making their breakfasts on tortora. [Illustration; CATTLE FEEDING ON RUSHES, LAKE TITICACA.]