nimals, the guanacos are all alike in colour.
The upper parts of the body are of a reddish brown, while underneath it
is a dirty white. The lips are white, and the face a dark grey. The wool
is shorter than that of the llama, and of the same length all over the
body. The guanaco lives in herds of five or seven individuals, and these
are very shy, fleeing to the most inaccessible cliffs when any one
approaches them. Like the chamois of Switzerland and the "bighorn" of
the Rocky Mountains, they can glide along steep ledges when neither men
nor dogs can find footing.

The "alpaco," or "paco," as it is sometimes called, is one of the most
useful of the Peruvian sheep, and is more like the common sheep than the
others. This arises from its bulkier shape, caused by its thick fleece
of long wool. The latter is soft, fine, and often five inches in length;
and, as is well known, has become an important article in the
manufacture of cloth. Its colour is usually either white or black,
though there are some of the alpacos speckled or spotted. Ponchos are
woven out of alpaco-wool by the Indians of the Andes.

The alpaco is a domesticated animal, like the llama, but it is not used
for carrying burdens. It is kept in large flocks, and regularly shorn as
sheep are. If one of the alpacos gets separated from the flock, it will
lie down and suffer itself to be beaten to death, rather than go the way
its driver wishes. You have, no doubt, sometimes seen a common sheep
exhibit similar obstinacy.

Of all the Peruvian sheep the vicuna is certainly the prettiest and most
graceful. It has more the form of the deer or antelope than of the
sheep, and its colour is so striking that it has obtained among the
Peruvians the name of the animal itself, _color de vicuna_ (vicuna
colour). It is of a reddish yellow, not unlike that of our domestic red
cat, although the breast and under parts of the body are white. The
flesh of the vicuna is excellent eating, and its wool is of more value
than even that of the alpaco. Where a pound of the former sells for one
dollar--which is the usual price--the pound of alpaco will fetch only a
quarter of that sum. Hats and the finest fabrics can be woven from the
fleece of the vicuna, and the Incas used to clothe themselves in rich
stuffs manufactured from it. In the present day the "ricos," or rich
proprietors of Peru, pride themselves in possessing ponchos of vicuna
wool.

The vicuna inhabits the high plains of th