THE CAMEL. 109

Sarai: they were amongst the gifts which Pharaoh pre-
sented to the patriarch. In the 32nd chapter they are
again spoken of, as part of the possessions of Jacob, when,
returning home from the dwelling of his uncle Laban, he
met Esau and endeavoured to propitiate his offended brother
with presents. “Thirty milch camels, with their colts”
formed a portion of this offering; and a valuable portion,
as the female is much prized on account of the milk, which
then was, as it is now, an important item in the daily
nourishment of Eastern nations. The Arabs drink camels’
milk either fresh or sour; they are partial to it in the latter
state, and it becomes sour sooner than that of most other
animals. Great quantities of camels’ milk are also given
to the Arabian horses, and the foals are fed almost exclu-
sively on it for some time. Burckhardt says, that when the
Bedouins take colts of two or three years old to sell in
Syria, they protest, in order to enhance their value, that
since they have been weaned they have been fed exclusively
on camels’ milk.

This animal was prohibited to be used as food by the
Jews, “because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the
hoof.” Of this latter assertion there is much question, as
the foot is in a certain degree divided; that is, the foot is