224 



WALRUS. 



was about half an inch thick, covered with ver> 

 short, thin, greyish or dull- white hairs. The bristles 

 on the upper lip diminished in length from the angle 

 of the mouth to the middle, the largest nearly five 

 'nches long, and as thick as a thrush's quill. A 

 notice respecting this animal was inserted in the 

 second volume of the Edinburgh Philosophical 

 Journal, being my first contribution to Science. 

 The skull was sent to Mr Macleod, the proprietor 

 of the island, who allowed it to be broken to pieces, 

 and the tusks I subsequently saw in his possession 

 in Edinburgh. The occurrence of so rare an animal 

 caused great astonishment at the time, and the 

 courage of the person who ventured to shoot it was 

 nighly extolled. It formed the subject of many a 

 conversation over the whole district ; and its ghost 

 appeared to a young woman in a dream, stating 

 .hat it had visited their inhospitable coast in search 

 of a lost brother. 



