THE WALRUS. 199 



grow lean, and swallow a considerable quantity of stones 

 to distend the stoniacli. He adds that the stomachs of 

 many of them were found entirely empty, and those of 

 others were filled with ten or twelve round heavy stones, 

 each of the size of two fists. 



The Walrus, or Morse (Trichecus Rosmarus). 



Leaving the genuine seals, we come to the genus Tri- 

 checus, of which we are acquainted with only one spe- 

 cies, the Walrus or Morse and Sea-cow of the British ; 

 Morse, Vache Marine, Cheval Marin, and Bete a la 

 grande dent of the French, It is the Horse-whale or 

 Whale-horse (Hval-ros) of Octher the Norwegian, who, 

 about the year 890, made his report of it to Alfred, as 

 having in its teeth bones of great price and excellency, 

 some of which he brought to the king on his return from 

 his voyage beyond Norway ; also Ilosmar of the Norwe- 

 gians ; Morss or Morsh of the Russians ; and Morsk of 

 the Laplanders. 



The walrus is a native of the polar regions of both 

 hemispheres, and it is more than j)robable that the arctic 

 animal is si)ecifically distinct from the antarctic, though 

 in habits and manners they agree precisely. The arctic 

 walrus has occasionally visited the British shores, and is 

 therefore figured by Mr. Bell in his ' History of British 

 Quadrupeds,' though it can scarcely be accounted one of 

 their number. In general form, no less than in habits, 

 the walrus closely resembles the larger species of seals, 

 but it differs from all the species of this group in the 

 general contour of the skull and in the dental formula. 

 Fig. 136 represents the skull and lower jaw ; Fig. 137 

 the molars and a tusk of this animal. 



The first peculiarity which strikes us in the skull of 

 the walrus consists in the enormous magnitude of the 

 canine teeth of the ui)per jaw, which are from eighteen 

 inches to tv^o feet in length, stout and solid, with large 

 roots imbedded in protuberant alveoli, or sockets, occu- 

 pying the anterior part of the muzzle, and rising above 

 the cranium, which appears of disproportionate volume. 



k2 



