The utility and value of the animal, which first aroused attention in 1836, led to many attempts to naturalize it in various parte of the globe. For some years, repeated efforts were made to raise flocks in this country, but they met with the ill-success that might have been expected from so great a change in the natural conditions surrounding the animals. That better results would attend a similar essay in the Highlands of Scotland seems probable. In the Pyrenees, a small herd did at one time exist, and there seems to be no good reason why the animals should not thrive there, and in other European mountain-cbaios, as the Alps, Carpathians, &c. In 1859, an attempt was made, on an extensive and costly scale, to introduce alpacas and llamas into New South Wales. For a time, all promised well, and the animals throve and multiplied ; but by 1863, nearly all the old animals were dead, and the progeny, numbering some 350, several of which were hybrids between the alpaca and the llama, sickened and drooped, and iu a short time numbered less than 200. Several of the survivors were purchased by other Australian colonies, and by New Zealand, but no care seems to have been able to compensate for the change from their mountain climate, and the experiment has elided in total failure. It has been proposed to repeat it iu Natal, but the prospect there is not much more encouraging, The vicuna is a much rarer and more valuable animal. Its geographical range in point of latitude exceeds that of the alpaca, as it extends throughout Peru and into Bolivia and Ecuador ; but it seldom descends lower than 13,000 ft., and it is very wild, and sparsely distributed, in the district which it inhabits: It is somewhat smaller than the alpaca, and the weight of its annual fleece is but little over 1 lb. ; on the other hand, the hair is exceedingly fine and delicate, varying in tint from a pale reddish-brown to a dirty-white, and usually brings double the price of alpaca for fine felting purposes.
The llama is larger than the alpaca, and is useful chiefly as a beast of burden and for its flesh. It inhabits only the loftier mountains of N. Peru. It affords a valuable fleece, which is, however, never shorn, and is almost entirely consumed locally, to the extent of 5-6 million lb., for sacking, cordage, carpets, and other coarse fabrics.
The guanaco attains almost to the size of our red deer, and is found from the equator to Tierra del Fuego, herds of 500 being met with in Patagonia. Its hair is dark-brown in colour, and shorter and coarser than that of any of the other species. It is worked up by the natives into blankets and ponchos, and rarely comes into this market.
Though the hairs afforded by these several animals are separately packed and marketed, the Board of Trsde Returns do not distinguish them, but class them together, under Wool. In the first 4 years of the trade, our imports of all kinds were over 500,000 lb. annually, and the value was 10d. a lb.; in 1852, we imported 2,186,480 lb., value 2s. 61. a lb. ; in 1864, 2,664,027 lb. ; in 1872, 3,878,739 lb., value 2s. 6d.-2s. 10d. In 1879, our imparts were :—From Peru, 3.671,660 lb., value 230,284/.; Chili, 633,096 lb., 49,982/.; other countries, 21,027 lb., 1045l.; total, 4,325,783 lb., 281,311/. The exports from Mollendo (Peru) in 1878 were :—Alpaca, 1st class, 25,826 quintals (of 101i lb.), 2nd class, 9691 quintals; vicuna, 216 quintals. In 1879, they were 29,416, 4631, and 203 quintals respectively.
Bison (Bison americantss).—The American bison, generally and erroneously called "buffalo," inhabits the prairies of America, from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachian chain, and from 63° N. lat. to New Mexico. The hair afforded by the animal is spun and woven into gloves, stockings, gaiters, and largely into cloth for making overcoats. It is very strong and durable, and the fabrics have as good an appearance as those of sheep's wool. It is probable that much of the hair which figures in the Returns as elk's is really derived from the bison. The pelts of the animal, termed " buffalo-robes," measure 8 ft. x 12 ft., and are of dun-brown colour. The best come from the Saskatchewan. Prime ones are used as sleigh-robes, ke. ; inferior are converted into mocassins, and form an excellent buff leather (see Skins). The value varies from 12s. to 40s., and the number marketed yearly is about 100,000.
camel is of two species. The Arabian, " single-humped," or " dromedary " (Camelus dromedarius), is found in Arabia, India, N. Africa, and Asia Minor ; the Baetrian, " two humped," or common " camel " (C. bactrianus), is larger, more robust, and rarer, and occurs through out the regions 'eastward and northward of the habitat of the former species, i. e. from the Black Sea to China and Lake Baikal. Both species occur in Central Asia. The under side of the neck, the upper part of the legs, and the bumps, of these animals are covered with an abundance of woolly hair, exceeding sheep's wool in length, and varying in colour and quality, according to the specieS, and the climate under which it lives. The hair of the Arabiati camel is thin, whitish, and
fine ; while that of the Bactrian is thicker, coarser, and darker coloured, and, in Tartary, is divided into three classes, according to its shade, black being the most highly prized, red next, and grey only half as valuable as red. The hair varies in quality from a fineness equal to that of silk, to a considerable degree of coarseness ; in quantity, it commonly amounts to 10 lb. annually. In the spring, the animals cast this hair, which is called !work, or " down," and is little inferior in fineness to that afforded by some breeds of shawl goats, while it possesses the advantage of being much longer, and more easily separated. In the young animal, it is fine and smooth ; but with age, it becomes curly and crisp. The animals are shorn every spring after the second year, and the hair is cleaned and assorted for home use, or exported in the raw state. The Arabs, and other Eastern nations, spin it and weave it into a kind of semi-waterproof cloth for wrapping merchandise, and into tent-coverings, shawls, and carpets. In Persia, very fine stockings are made from it, the white being most valued ; and both in Persia and Tartary, a most dnrable, warm, soft and light cloth is made, patterns being produced by selecting the naturally coloured hair. Some 25 years since, the hair was already finding its way into European commerce. It was shipped from Smyrna, Con stantinople, and Alexandria, and used chiefly by the French for making superior hats, and the longer hairs for making artials pencils. In 1861, however, we reeeived 322,000 lb. For a time, Russia almost monopolized the trade, quantities of the hair being shipped from Russian ports chiefly to London and Liverpool. The exports from Revel to Great Britain in 1878 were 6894 poods (of 36 lb.), and iu 1879, 6793 poods. Much of this was re-shipped, especially to America. As the supplies increased, the coarser qualities began to be converted into carpets, and the better staples to be combined with wool for making winter garments. When the Chinese port of Tion-tsin was opened to foreign trade, camels' hair soon developed itself into a commercial specialty. The authorities levied en export duty of 5 per cent. ad valorem. The actual prices paid in 1877 ranged from 2 taels (of 6.9.) a picul (of 1334 lb.) for the coarsest and dirtiest, to 16 taels for " finest re cleaned," and 6 taels 5 m. was the value fixed as a basis for the tax. But in 1878, when the local prices ranged from 2 to 14 fuels, the authorities increased the taxation standard to 10 tads, a step which cannot fail to cheek the growth of what promised to be a most lucrative trade for one of the poorest and most barren portions of N. China. The shipments from Tientsin piculs of 1334 lb.) have been :—in 1874, 31294 ; 1875, 4070i ; 1876, 9824 ; 1877, 13,3844. Shanghae, in 1878, exported a total of 11,788 piculs.
Cattle.—Cow- and ex-hair is afforded generally by the same countries as horse-hair, and the quantities produced in this kingdom are supplemented by large importations from abroad. Here it is principally used by plasterers, to increase the cohesiveness of their mortar, and in the manu facture of felt for roofing, sheathing, and packing purposes. Smaller quantities aro employed in admixture with horse-hair for stuffing, and for making coarse friezes, blankets, rugs,' and horse cloths. In Germany, it is applied in carpet manufacture ; and in Norway, the peasants convert it into hosiery. Much cattle-hair is obtained from the tanneries, where it is sold in the wet state at about 2s. 6d. a bush. Our imports (including the hair of the cow, ox, bull, and elk) in 1879 were as follows :—From France, 18,288 cwt., 16,7421. ; Holland, 13,784 cwt., 10,968/. ; Russia, 5772 cwt., 10,796/. ; Germany, 5247 cwt., 5350/. ; other countries, 8336 cwt., 11,3431. ; total, 51,427 cwt., 55,199/. Riga, in exported 37,675 poods (of 36 lb.) of cow- and horse-hair, the former being valued at 84 9•oubles (of 2.s. 8d.) a pond. Santos (Brazil), in 1879, shipped 150 kilo. of ox-hair, value 81., to Europe. The values in this market are about 13-141. a lb. for eow-hair off the skin, and 11-12d. on the skin. White hair is much dearer than coloured. Plasterers' hair is worth about 5-81. a ton ; washed, 10-111. Deer-hair is valued for stuffing saddles.
Goat (Capra hircus).—Two varieties of the domestic goat are valuable as hair producers—the Angora or Mohair, and the Cashmere. The mistake is commonly made of supposing them to be identical ; but though they are only varieties of the same species (which includes at least four other varieties), their differences are such as to entitle them to separate consideration. Collectively, the goat ranks second only to the sheep as a source of hair or wool, and its fleece ie the most important of those discussed in the present article.