EXTERNAL CHARACTERS. 37 



wenigstens kampfen sie so lange, bis sie todt zur Erde nieder- 

 fallen."* 



Another account of the Walrus, from its being one of the 

 earliest extant, is also of especial interest in the present con- 

 nection. Though repeatedly copied, in part or wholly, by the 

 earlier authors, and also by von Baer, I think it deserving of 

 reproduction here. It was written by Prof. A. E. Vorst, and was 

 based on the young specimen taken to Holland in 1613. It is 

 here copied from De Lae't (Descrip. Indite Occident.), by whom it 

 was published in 1633 : 



" Belluam hanc marinaui vidi, magnitudine vituli, aut canis 

 Britannici rnajoris, Phocae non dissimilem ; capite rotundo, ocu- 

 Hs bovillis, naribus depressis ac patulis, qnos modo contrahe- 

 bat, modo diducebat, auriuni loco utrinque foramina 5 rictus 

 oris rotundo nee ita vasto, superiori parte aut labro mystaca 

 gestabat setis cartilagineis, crassis ac rigidis constanteni. Infe- 

 rior maxilla trigonaerat, lingua era ssa brevisque, atque osiuterius 

 deutibus planis utrimque numitum, pedibus anterioribus posteri- 

 oribnsque latis, atque extrema corporis parte Phocam nostratem 

 plane referebat. Pedes anteriores antrorsuni, posteriores retror- 

 suni spectabant cum ingrederetur. Di giti quinque inernbrana in- 

 tersepiente distinct!, eaque crassa, posterioribus digitis ungues 

 iinpositi, non prioribus, cauda plane carebat. Postica parte 

 repebat niagis quam incedebat. Cute crassa, coreacea, piUsque 

 brevibus ac tenuisibus obsita vestiebatur, colore cinereo. Grun- 

 nitum apri instar edebat, sen crocitabat voce gravi et valida. 

 Eepebat per areani extra aquani, quotidie per semihoram aut 

 amplius dolio aqua pleno immittebant, nt se ibi oblectaret. Ca- 

 tulus erat, ut fefebant qui attulerant ex nova Zeinbla, deceni 

 hebdomadarum, dentes sen cornua exerta, ut adultiores, non- 

 duni habens, tubercula tanien in superiori labro percipieban- 

 tur, unde brevi proditura facile apparebat. Ferum et validum 

 animal calebat ad tactum, validique per nares spiribat. Pul- 

 mentarium ex avena mih'ove comedebat lente et suctu magis, 

 quam deglutienclo, heruuique gestanteni cibum ac offerentem 

 magno nisti ac grannitu accedebat, sequebaturque, nidore ejus 

 allectus. Lardum ejus gustantibus hand insuave visum est. 



* Herrn Hans Egede, Missioniirs und Bischofes in Gronland, Besckreibung 

 iind Natur-Gescliiclite Ton Gronland, iibersetzet von D. Joh. Ge. Kriinitz. 

 Mit Kupfern. Berlin, verlegts August Mylius, 1763. pp. 10G-108. Since 

 transcribing the above I have met -with an early (1768) English translation 

 of this work, in which an English rendering of the above description may 

 be found at p. 125. 



