The history of silk, cotton, linen, wool, and other fibrous ... - Cd3wd.com

314 CAMELS'-WOOL AND CAMELs'-HAIR.
cloth, which is used in its natural color, and is extremely warm,
soft, and light." According to Prosper Alpinus, {Hist. Nat.
JEgypti, I. iv, c. 7. p. 225.) the Egyptians manufactured from
the hair of their camels not only coarse cloth for their tents,
but other kinds so fine as to be worn not only by princes but
even by the senators of Venice.
Elphinstone, in liis account of Cabul (p. 295. j, mentions,
tliat " Oormuck, a fine cloth made of camels'-wool," is among
the articles imported into Cabul from the Bokhara country.
This countiy Ues North of the Oxus, and East of the Southern
extremity of the Caspian Sea, and is probably the country, to
which Ctesias more especially referred. A still more recent authority
is that of Moorcroft, who informs us, that " Cloth is now
made from the wool of the wild camels of Khoten in Chinese
Tartary," and that " at Astrakhan a fine cloth is manufactured
from the wool of the camel foal of the first year*."
* Journal of the Royal Geograpliical Society, vol. i. p. 241, 242.
It is customary in many parts of the East, as it was in Mexico in the time of
Cortes (See Part Third, Chapter I.) to use the hair of various animals in em-
broidering garments. The Candian women even embroider with their own hair,
as well as that of animals, with which they make splendid representations of
flowers, foliage, &c. : they also iiisert the skins of eels and serpents.
According to M. de Busson, the negreeses of Senegal, embroider the skins of
various beasts, representing figiu"es, flowers, and animals, in every variety of
color.