Mr. A. Newton on the Zoology of Spitsbergen. 429 



* 



years several vessels were annually equipped at Tromso and Ham- 



merfest in pursuit of it ; but I believe that of late this practice has 

 been a good deal discontinued. 



Although none of our party were lucky enough to get a glimpse 

 of a Walrus, I cannot refrain from mentioning here some circum- 

 stances connected with the history and habits of that curious and 

 mighty beast. It is pretty well known tbat in the summer of 1853 

 a living example was deposited in our Gardens, which, however, after 

 a few days languished and died, probably from having been fed on 

 a diet so unnatural to it as oatcake*. Yet this is by no means the 

 only instance of this animal being brought alive to England. So 

 long ago as 1608, the ship 'God-speed,' commanded by Master 

 Thomas Welden, performed a voyage to Cherie, now commonly 

 called Bear Island, and in the account of the expedition it is 

 written — 



" On the twelfth [July] we took into our ship two young Morses, 

 male and female, aliue : the female died before we came into England: 

 the male liued about ten weeks. When wee had watered, we set sayle 

 for England about foure of the clocke in the morning. * * * 



" The twentieth of August, wee arriued at London ; and hauing 

 dispatched some priuate businesse, we brought our liuing Morse to 

 the Court, where the king and many honourable personages beheld 

 it with admiration for the strangenesse of the same, the like whereof 

 had neuer before beene seene aliue in England. Not long after it 

 fell sicke and died. As the beaste in shape is very strange, so is it 

 of strauge docilitie and apt to be taught, as by good experience we 

 often proued"f. 



Now surely what a rude skipper in the days of James I. could 

 without any preparation accomplish, this Society ought to have no 

 great difficulty in effecting ; and I trust that the example may not be 

 lost upon those who control our operations. From inquiries I have 

 made, I find it is quite the exception for any year to pass without an 

 opportunity of capturing alive one or more young examples of Tri- 

 chechus Ros?narus occurring to the twenty or thirty ships which an- 

 nually sail from the northern ports of Norway, to pursue this animal 

 in the Spitsbergen seas. It has several times happened that young 

 Walruses thus taken are brought to Hammerfest ; but, the voyage 

 ended, they are sold to the first purchaser, generally for a very tri- 

 fling sum, and, their food and accommodation not being duly con- 

 sidered, they of course soon die. Lord Dufferin bought one which 

 had been taken to Bergen, and succeeded in bringing it alive to 

 Ullapool %; aod Mr. Lamont mentions another which he saw in 

 the possession of Captain Erichsen§. In making an attempt to 

 place a live Walrus in our Gardens, I do not think we ought to be 



* See ' Zoological Sketches,' by J. Wolf; edited by P. L. Sclater. Cf. also J. E. 

 Gray, P.Z. S. 1853, p. 112. 



t Hakluytcs Posthumus or Purchas his Pilgrimes, &c. By Samuel 

 Purchas, B.D. London: 1624, vol. iii. p. 560. 



J Letters from High Latitudes, pp. 387-389. 



§ Seasons with the Sea-Horses, pp. 26, 27. 



