Camel

a genus of ruminant quad. rupeds, characterized by the absence of horns; a fi ure in the upper lip; a long and arched neck; one or two humps or protuberances on the back; and a broad elastic foot ending ir two small hoofs. The native country of the camel is said to extend from Morocco to China, within a zone of > ime:. ~s CAMEL, 900 or 1,000 miles in breadth. The common camel, having two humps, is found in the N. part of this region, and exclusively from the ancient Bactria, now Turkestan, to China. The dromedary, or single-humped camel is found Lips gs the entire length of this zone. To people residing in the vicinity of the great deserts the camel is an invaluable mode of conveyance. It will travel three days under a load and five days under a rider without drinking. The camel’s power of enduring thirst is partly due to the structure of its stomach, to which are attached pouches capable of straining off and storing water for future use. It can live on little food, and of the cearsest kind. In this it is helped by the fact that its humps are mere accumulations of fat and form a store upon which the system can draw when the outside supply is defective. Camels which carry heavy burdens will do about 25 miles a day; those which are used for speed alone, from 60 to 90 miles a day. The camel is rather pa ive than docile, but it is very vindictive when injured. It lives from 40 to 50 years. The South American members of the family Camelide contain the lama and alpaca; they have no humps.