or Camel, in zoology, a genus of quadrupeds belonging to the order of pecora. The characters of the camel are these: It has no horns, it has six foreteeth in the under-jaw; the lanarius are wide feet, three in the upper, and two in the lower jaw; and there is a fissure in the upper lip, resembling the cleft in the lip of a hare. The species are four, viz. 1. The dromedarius, or African camel, (Plate LIX. fig. 2.) with one bunch or protuberance on the back. It has four callous protuberances on the fore-legs, and two on the hind ones. The hoof, or rather callous skin of their feet, which is softer than the hoofs of other animals, enables the camel to walk along the sandy paths of warm climates with greater ease; by yielding to the pressure, it is not so subject to be injured by friction. The structure and constitution of the camel is admirably adapted to the climate which produces them. In Africa and Arabia, where this animal is most frequent, and is employed in carrying all kinds of burdens, there is great scarcity of water. The camel has often been observed to travel longer than any other creature without drink. This it is enabled to do, from a singular construction in its stomachs. It is one of the ruminating animals, and has four stomachs. At the top of the second stomach, there are several square holes, which are the orifices of about twenty cavities or sacks, placed between the two membranes which compose the substance of this stomach. These sacks are so many reservoirs which they fill over and above what satisfies their present thirst, and serve for supplying them with water in long journeys through the dry and sandy deserts, where wells or rivers are seldom to be met with. Travellers, when much oppressed with drought, are sometimes obliged to kill their camels, in order to have a supply of drink from these reservoirs. The camel carries very heavy burdens, and travels long, but with a slow pace. They have sometimes been known to travel several days without a fresh supply of water. When fatigued, they lie on their breast. 2. The Bactrianus, or Bactrian camel (fig. 3.), has two bunches on the back, the hindmost of which is by much the largest. It is a native of Africa, and is more rarely to be met with than the dromedary. It is also much swifter in its motion. 3. The glama, or South-American camel-sheep, has a smooth skin, and very short hair; it has a bunch or protuberance on the breast, which secretes cretes a liquor. They are very impatient of cold; are easily tamed, and carry burdens of about fifty or sixty pounds weight. When restive, they are pushed on by squeezing their testicles. When enraged by their driver, they throw out from their mouth a liquor which corrodes and makes the skin rise into blisters. The pacos, or sheep of Chili, has no bunch on the back. It is covered with a fine valuable wool, which is of a blood-red colour on the back of the animal, and white on the belly. It is unfit for carrying burdens, and is kept principally for the sake of the wool, and the flesh, which is exceedingly well-tailed.

CAMERA obcura, in optics, a machine representing an artificial eye, wherein the images of external objects are exhibited distinctly, in their native colours, either inverted or erect. See Optics.