L L A L L A
"It is not easy to describe its general appearance, which combines some of the characters of a camel, a deer, and a goat. The body, deep at the breast but very small at the loins, is covered with long, soft, very fine hair, which on the upper parts is of a kind of fawn-colour, and beneath varies from a very pale yellow to the most beautiful snow-white. The head is provided with large ears, in general carried well back, and is covered with short greyish hair, which is darkest on the forehead. Occasionally the face is nearly black. As a rule, it lives in flocks of from half a dozen to several hundreds, but solitary individuals are now and then to be met with. They are very difficult to approach sufficiently near to admit of an easy shot, as they are extremely wary, but, on being disturbed, canter off at a pace which soon puts a safe distance between them and the sportsman, even though he should be mounted. Despite their timidity, however, they are possessed of great curiosity, and will sometimes advance within a comparatively short distance of an unknown object, at which they will gaze fixedly till they take alarm, when they effect a speedy retreat. Their cry is very peculiar, being something between the belling of a deer and the neigh of a horse. It would be difficult to overestimate their numbers upon the Patagonian plains; for in whatever direction we walked we always came upon numbers of portions of their skeletons and detached bones."
Darwin, who has given a most interesting account of the habits of the guanaco in his Naturalist's Voyage, says that they readily take to the water, and were seen several times at Port Valdes swimming from island to island.
The llama is only known as a domestic animal, and is chiefly met with in the southern part of Peru. Burmeister, the latest and a very competent writer on the subject,[1] says that he is perfectly satisfied that it is the descendant of the wild guanaco, an opinion opposed to that of Tschudi. It generally attains a larger size than the guanaco, and is usually white or spotted with brown or black, and sometimes altogether black. The earliest and often quoted account of this animal by Augustin de Zarate, treasurer-general of Peru in 1544, will bear repeating as an excellent summary of the general character and uses to which it was put by the Peruvians at the time of the Spanish conquest. He speaks of the llama as a sheep, observing, however, that it is camel-like in shape, though destitute of a hump: –
"In places where there is no snow, the natives want water, and to supply this they fill the skins of sheep with water and make other living sheep carry them, for, it must be remarked, these sheep of Peru are large enough to serve as beasts of burden. They can carry about one hundred pounds or more, and the Spaniards used to ride them, and they would go four or five leagues a day. When they are weary they lie down upon the ground, and as there are no means of making them get up, either by beating or assisting them, the load must of necessity be taken off. When there is a man on one of them, if the beast is tired and urged to go on, he turns his head round, and discharges his saliva, which.has an unpleasant odour, into the rider's face. These animals are of great use and profit to their masters, for their wool is very good and fine, particularly that of the species called pacas, which have very long fleeces; and the expense of their food is trifling, as a handful of maize suffices them, and they can go four or five days without water. Their flesh is as good as that of the fat sheep of Castile. There are now public shambles for the sale of their flesh in all parts of Peru, which was not the case when the Spaniards came first; for when one Indian had killed a sheep his neighbours came and took what they wanted, and then another Indian killed a sheep in his turn."
The disagreeable habit here noticed of spitting in the face of persons whose presence is obnoxious is common to all the group, as may be daily witnessed in specimens in confinement in the menageries of Europe. One of the principal labours to which the llamas were subjected at the time of the Spanish conquest was that of bringing down ore from the mines in the mountains. Gregory de Bolivar estimated that in his day as many as three hundred thousand were employed in the transport of the produce of the mines of Potosi alone, but since the introduction of horses, mules, and donkeys the importance of the llama as a beast of burden has greatly diminished.
The alpaca is believed by most naturalists to be a variety of the vicugna; others have, however, identified it with the guanaco, and some consider it as a distinct species. It is usually found in a domesticated or semi-domesticated state, being kept in large flocks which graze on the level heights of the Andes of southern Peru and northern Bolivia at an elevation of from 14,000 to 16,000 feet above the sea-level, throughout the year. It is not used as a beast of burden like the llama, but is valued only for its wool, of which the Indian blankets and ponchas are made. Its colour is usually dark brown or black. The characteristics of its wool, and the history of its introduction into British manufacturing industry, are described in the article ALPACA. (w. H. F.)
LLANDAFF, a city of Glamorgan, South Wales. See CARDIFF, within which parliamentary borough it is almost entirely included.
LLANDUDNO, a watering-place in Carnarvonshire, North Wales, situated on the Irish Sea, and at the mouth of the Conway, in a finely sheltered bay, 50 miles west of Chester by rail. It lies between Great Orme's Head and Little Orme's Head, two lofty promontories which rise pre cipitously from the sea to the height of several hundred feet. Round Great Orme's Head a public drive has been made, from which very picturesque views are obtained. The rock is greatly frequented by many varieties of sea birds, and is also the habitat of many rare plants. The old parish church of St Tudno, situated on a cliff over looking the sea, has been replaced by a later structure (St George s), and the Church of Holy Trinity in the First Pointed style was erected in 1865. The chief attrac tions of the town are its picturesque and sheltered situa tion, and the fine facilities it affords for sea bathing. In the neighbouring copper-mines various mineralogical speci mens of interest have been found. On the summit of the head there are the remains of old circular buildings, some portions of an old fortress, and a rocking stone. The population of the urban sanitary district in 1871 was 2762, and in 1881 it was 4838, but these figures do not repre sent its summer population, which is nearly twice as great.
LLANELLY, a market-town, parliamentary borough, and seaport town of Carmarthenshire, South Wales, is situated on a creek of Carmarthen Bay, on the river Lougher, and on several railway lines, 11 miles west of Swansea, and 225 west-north-west of London. It is a prosperous manufacturing town. The church of St Elli or Llanelly is in the Early English style, with a square embattled tower. The other principal buildings are the town-hall and the athenæum. The town possesses extensive docks. It imports large quantities of copper ore, and carries on an export trade in its special manufactures. For the last five years the exports have averaged above £150,000 annually, and the imports £50,000. There are copper, silver, lead, and tin works, iron foundries, manufactures of pottery, chemical works, brick and tile works, flour-mills, and breweries; and in the vicinity there are extensive collieries. Llanelly is included in the Carmarthen district of parliamentary boroughs. The population of the urban sanitary district in 1871 was 14,973, which in 1881 had increased to 19,655.
LLANGOLLEN, a picturesque market-town of Denbighshire, North Wales, and a favourite summer resort, is beautifully situated in a fine vale surrounded by lofty mountains, on the right bank of the Dee, and on a branch line of the Great Western Railway, 9 miles south-west of Wrexham, and 22 south-west of Chester. The river is crossed by a peculiarly constructed bridge of five arches built in 1345. The church, dedicated to St Collen, is a plain but ancient structure, partly in the Early English style. Opposite the town, on the summit of a conical hill.
- ↑ Description Physique de la République Argentine, vol. iii. p. 458, 1879.
