*82 ODOBJENUS ROSMARUS ATLANTIC WALRUS. 



and Walrus of the English. By the early Scandinavian writers 

 it was termed Rosmlivalr, which later became resolved into Eos- 

 mul, from which, perhaps, originated the Latin term Rosmarus, 

 which has the same significance, introduced by Olaus Magnus 

 and Gesner, and the Norwegian word Eostungr. Gesner and 

 several subsequent writers also used the word Meerross, and we 

 have in English the equivalent term Sea-horse, as one of the ap- 

 pellations of the Walrus, and also, but more rarely, Meerpferd 

 in German, and Cheval marin in French. 



The current French term Morse appears, as already stated, to 

 have been introduced by Buffon as a modification of the Rus- 

 sian word morss, used by Michow (1517) and Herberstain (1549). 

 Among other old vernacular names we find in English Sea 

 Coiv, in French Vache marine, in Latin Bos marinus, etc., while 

 by the early French settlers in America it was commonly termed 

 Bete a la grande dent. 



LITERATURE. 1. General History. Passing over the by some 

 supposed allusions to the Walrus by Pliny as too vague and 

 uncertain for positive identification, * we meet, according to 

 von Baer, with the first positive reference to the present 

 species in the account of the exploits of the famous Norman ex- 

 plorer Othere, or Octher, who, about the year 871 (890 accord- 

 ing to some authorities), made a voyage to some point beyond 

 the North Cape, where he met with large herds of Walruses, 

 some of the tus]S of which he is said to have taken to England 

 as a present to King Alfred, t Walruses appear to have been 



* See K. E. von Baer, M&n. de PAcad. Imp. des Sci. de St. Pe"tersb., vi me 

 se"r., Sci. math., phys. et nat., tome iv, 3 me livr., 1836, (1837), pp. 101, 102. To 

 this admirable monograph I am greatly indebted for information respecting 

 the earlier publications bearing upon the history of the Walruses. To this 

 exhaustive memoir the reader is referred for a full exposition of this part of 

 the subject. The following short summary is based, so far as the early his- 

 tory of the subject is concerned, mainly upon von Baer's monograph, an 

 analysis of which will be presented at a subsequent page. (See posted, p. 88, 

 footnote.) 



tHakluyt's rendering of this account is as follows: "The principall 

 purpose of his [Othere's] traveile this way, was to encrcase the knowledge 

 and discoverie of these coasts and countreyes, for the more comoditie of fish- 

 ing of horsewhales, which have in their teeth bones of great price and ex- 

 cellencie : whereof he brought some at his returne unto the king. Their 

 skinnes are also very good to make cables for shippes, and so used. This 

 kind of whale is much lesse in quantitie then other kindes, having not in 

 length above seven elles." HAKLUYT'S Voyages, vol. i, p. 5. 



