144 FEROCITY OF WALRUS. 



lapping one another at the points, as is the 

 case with the stuffed specimen in the British 

 Museum. The tusks of old bulls, on the con 

 trary, generally diverge from, one another, 

 being sometimes as much as fifteen inches 

 apart at the points. It is a common belief 

 amongst the hunters, that those walruses 

 which have wide-set tusks are the most savage 

 and dangerous, and more particularly if the 

 tusks diverge from one another in curves, as 

 is sometimes, though rarely, the case. I can 

 easily conceive that this opinion is well- 

 founded, because it is evident that a walrus 

 with his tusks diverging at the points must 

 be much handier in the use of them than if they 

 stick straight down, or curve inwards or to 

 wards his breast. I remember once going on 

 board another small sloop, and seeing the skull 

 of an old walrus with remarkably wide- 

 set tusks lying on deck; my harpooner re 

 marked to the captain of the sloop, &quot; That 

 must have been a troublesome customer.&quot; &quot; I 

 believe you,&quot; said the skyppar ; &quot; he put. his 

 tusks through the boat, and nearly upset us. 

 Look here,&quot; he continued, pointing to the 

 bottom of a boat hanging on the davits, &quot; and 

 see what the scoundrel did.&quot; A piece had 



