164 ALASKA. 



natives not making any use of their flesb, fat, or bides ; aud 

 i;vhen they are shot, it is usually but a wanton undertaking by 

 the people while visiting the island in June and July. For the 

 purpose of getting eggs, the natives come from the village ou 

 Saint Paul's twice or thrice every year, and only at this season. 



As the females never come down to the Prybilov Islands, I 

 have not had an opportunity of observing them, and have in 

 this way not been able to see this animal as well as I could 

 wish. The reason why this baud of males, many of them old 

 ones, should be here by themselves all through the year is not 

 plain to me ; the natives assure me that the females, or their 

 young, never have been seen around the shores of these islands. 

 Over iu Bristol Bay great numbers of walrus congregate on 

 the sandy bars and flats, where they are hunted to a consider- 

 able extent for their ivory.* 



From descriptions of undoubted authority, the walrus of the 

 North x\tlantic is a much smaller animal than his relative in 

 the Pacific, and not nearly so timid. It is also covered with a 

 coat of short brownish-gray and black hair, while the male adult 

 of Bering Sea is almost entirely naked. The skins and skele- 

 tons of the two animals are now in the Smithsonian collection. 



* 'No walrus are now found SQutb of the Aleutian Islands, but not more 

 than tliirty or tlilrty-five years ago small numbers of tbese animals were 

 killed now and tbeu on islands between Kodiak and Oonemak Pass. Tbe 

 greatest number of tbem soutb of tbe arctic circle will now be found in 

 Bristol Bay and on tbe north sbore of tbe peninsula. 



Tbe finest baidars that I bave seen in tbis country were tbe skin-boats 

 of tbe Saint Lawrence natives, wbicb were made out of dressed walrus- 

 bides sewed witb sinews. Tbe flesb is exceedingly rank in taste and smell 

 wben fresb,and, iu fact, quite as offensive to tbe civilized palate tben as 

 wben putrid. Tbe natives clean tbe small intestine and dry it, wbicb gives 

 tbem a piece of ligbt, transparent gut-parcbment, over a bundred ftot iu 

 lengtb and five to six incbes broad, tbat serves admirably as material for 

 water-proof coats and trousers ; tbe flipper-skin makes tbe tougbest soles 

 for tbeir bair-seal boots, wbile tbe bido itself answers for all styles of cord- 



