66 ODOB^ENUS ROSMARUS ATLANTIC WALRUS. 



Nova Scotia, as well as the shores and islands to the northward ; 

 but this appears to have been at that time their southern limit 

 of distribution. 



In May, 1534, they were inet with by James Cartier, about 

 the island of "Ramea" (probably Sable Island), who thus refers 

 to them: "About the said Island [Rarnea] are very greate 

 beastes as great as oxen, which have two -great teeth in their 

 mouths like unto Elephants teeth, & live also in the Sea. 

 We saw them sleeping upon the bauke of the water : wee think- 

 ing to take it, went with our boates, but so soone as he heard 

 us, he cast hmiselfe into the sea." * They were afterward hunted 

 here for their tusks and oil. Thus Richard Fischer, in speaking 

 of the same island, says: "On which Isle [of Ramea] are so 

 great abundance of the huge and inightie Sea Oxen with great 

 teeth in inoneths of April, May and June, that there have bene 

 fifteene hundreth killed there by one small barke, in the year 

 1591." t The same writer tells us that George Drake, two years 

 later, "found a shippe of Saint Malo three parts freighted 

 with these fishes." Another writer says that he had seen 

 a "dry flat full at once" of their teeth, "which are a foote 

 and sometimes more in length." They also, at about the same 

 time, frequented the so-called "Bird Islands" off Cape Breton. 

 Says Charles Leigh : " Upon the lesse of these Islands of Birds 

 we saw greate store of Morsses or Sea Oxen, which were a 

 sleepe upou the rockes : but when we approached nere unto 

 them with our boate they cast themselves into the sea and 

 pursued us with such furie as that we were glad to flee from 

 them." It is later said that the number of these " Sea Oxen" 

 was '/about thirty or forty ."f From the accounts of other 

 writers we learn that these "Sea Oxen" were accustomed to 

 resort to these various islands during April, May, and June, 

 for the purpose of bringing forth their young. Thus, "Thomas 

 James of Bristoll," in speaking of the "Isle of Raniea," says it 

 was situated "in 47 degrees, some fiftie leagues from the Grand 

 Bay, neere Newfoundland: and is about twentie leagues about, 

 and some part of the Island is flat Sands and shoulds : and the 

 fish conuneth on bankc (to do their kiude) in April, May & June, 

 by numbers of thousands, which fish is very big : and hath two 

 great teeth : and the skinue of them is like Buffes leather : and 

 they will not away from their yong ones. The yong ones are 



? Hakluyt, Voyages, vol. iii, p. 254. t Ibid. , p. 238. t Ibid. , pp. 242, 249. 



