THE CARNIVORES 



of being turned forward beneath the body, and are employed in locomotion on land; 

 while they have the three middle digits much smaller than the outer pair. Moreover, 

 the toes of the hind- feet are similarly terminated by large lobes projecting far beyond 

 the extremities of the bones; and the fore-limbs are nearly as large as the hinder ones. 

 The walrus differs, however, from the eared seals in the total absence of exter- 

 nal ears, and also in its massive and clumsy build, as well as in the number and 

 structure of its teeth. Thus the front portion of the skull is greatly swollen, and 

 carries a pair of very long and laterally-compressed tusks, or canine teeth, depend- 

 ing from the upper jaw. In the adult animal internally to these tusks there is 

 usually a row of four small teeth, of which in the young state the first is situated in 

 advance of the latter, and is, therefore, an incisor; the other three being premolars. 

 The lower jaw has but four teeth on each side, of which the foremost corresponds 

 to the upper tusk, while the other three represent the premolars. Consequently, 

 an adult walrus has but eighteen teeth altogether. The young animal has, how- 

 ever two pairs of incisor teeth in both jaws, and five upper and four lower cheek- 

 teeth; thus, with the tusks, bringing up the total number of teeth to thirty. We 

 thus see that the young walrus presents resemblances to the eared seals in respect of 

 the number of its teeth, which are totally lost in the adult animal. Our figure 



of the skeleton of the walrus 

 shows the tusks in their full de- 

 velopment; the illustration of the 

 living animal being taken from 

 examples with poorly-developed 

 tusks. With the exception of 

 these large upper tusks, all the 

 teeth have low, blunted, subcon- 

 ical crowns, admirably adapted for 

 crushing the mollusks on which 

 these animals so largely subsist. 



In comparison with the size 

 of the body, the head of the wal- 

 rus is rather small, and while 

 squared and abruptly truncated in 

 front is somewhat rounded behind; 

 this rounded appearance being in- 

 creased by the absence of all trace 

 of external ears. The muzzle 

 seems to be divided into two lobes 



by the vertical groove below the nostrils, and is furnished on either side with a num- 

 ber of stout translucent bristles growing from the upper lips. The eye is very small; 

 and the entire head has a remarkably-rugged and battered appearance; the lower 

 jaw narrowing to a point between the upper tusks. The latter, which ordinarily 

 project to a length of from twelve to fifteen or more inches below the level of the 

 gum, communicate, of course, the most striking and characteristic feature to the 

 head, and indeed to the whole animal. Although relatively longer than in the true 



HEAD OF WALRUS. 



