716 THE CARNIVORES 



In the young of the walrus the body is thickly covered with short, yellowish- 

 brown fur, which is thinner and shorter on the under parts and limbs than else- 

 where, where it also becomes of a reddish-brown or chestnut tinge. This fur per- 

 sists till middle age, but in old age becomes gradually more and more scanty, 

 frequently disappearing almost completely, or even entirely, from patches of larger 

 or smaller extent; while in some very old males of the Pacific walrus the whole skin 

 may be almost naked. The skin over the entire body is thrown into a number of 

 folds and wrinkles, these folds being heaviest in the region of the shoulders. The 

 frequent fights in which these animals engage add a number of scars to the skin. 

 Of four adult males measured by Mr. J. A. Allen the smallest had a length of nine 

 and one-half and the largest of eleven feet, from the tip of the snout to the root of 

 the tail. Other individuals have, however, been recorded, measuring somewhat 

 more than twelve feet in total length; but the statements of fifteen or even sixteen- 

 feet walruses must be received with hesitation. There is still much uncertainty as 

 to the weight which these animals will attain. Parry gives the weight of an imma- 

 ture female as 1,550 pounds; while other trustworthy writers set down the weight 

 of full-grown males at from 2,250 to 3,000 pounds. Larger weights have, indeed, 

 been suggested, but it is probable that in those cases the estimates were far too 

 high. In regard to the size of the tusks of the Atlantic walrus, a fine pair men- 

 tioned by Mr. Allen had a total length of twenty-four inches, of which probably 

 about eighteen inches would have protruded from the jaw during life; the weight 

 of each of these being four pounds. Others have, however, been obtained with a 

 total length of thirty-one inches, and a weight of upward of eight pounds apiece; 

 but such are, now at least, extremely rare. The tusks of females seldom exceed 

 twenty inches in length. In the Pacific walrus the tusks are said to be longer and 

 thicker, and more convergent; but we have not met with any account of their maxi- 

 mum dimensions. 



In addition to this difference in the form of the tusks, the Pacific walrus has 

 the muzzle proportionately broader and deeper, while the bristles on the upper lip 

 are shorter and smaller. Important differences also occur in the form of the skull 

 of the two varieties. 



The geographical range of the walrus has been considerably re- 

 Distribution . j . . . , 



stncted in modern times owing to the incessant persecution of the 



animal in all accessible regions, and it is now exterminated in many places where 

 it was formerly abundant. Its numbers have, indeed, been sadly diminished every- 

 where, and unless it receive prompt and efficient protection it is one of those 

 creatures which stand a good chance of becoming extinct; this being more 

 especially the case with the Pacific variety. The Atlantic walrus was known in 

 Europe during the latter part of the ninth century, and appears to have been hunted 

 on the coast of Finmark about a century later, while by the year 1600 walrus hunting 

 was a regular trade. Occasionally these animals wandered as far southward as the 

 coasts of Scotland; and they were abundant on many of the islands near the northern 

 coast of continental Europe, and even on the shores of the continent itself; while 

 eastward their range extended into Asia as far as the river Lena. Northward, the 

 walrus appears to extend as far as vessels have penetrated. In 1600 it was very 



