ix. AWUK THE WALRUS. 125 



he adds, " the faces of the old walrus and the calf as they 

 looked back at the boat. The countenance of the young 

 one, so expressive of abject terror, and yet of confidence 

 in its mother's power of protecting it, as it swam along 

 under her wing; and the old cow's face showing such 

 reckless defiance for all that we could do to herself, and 

 yet such terrible anxiety as to the safety of her calf." 



And what return is there for this merciless procedure, 

 this "tenderly" harpooning and "gently" stirring up to 

 the groaning point a harmless walrus calf? What in 

 return for all this cruelty ? Several pounds of blubber, 

 some indifferent ivory, and a hide which can be boiled 

 into glue. 



It so chanced that I was standing the other day in the 

 mammalian gallery of the Museum in Liverpool and look- 

 ing up at the stuffed specimen of the walrus picturing him 

 hanging to the rugged rocks by his great tusks fast asleep 

 while the fishermen busied themselves around ; some 

 skinning his hinder regions, others affixing ropes to the 

 neighbouring trees, and others preparing the sling stones 

 by which, when all was in readiness for him to flay himself 

 alive, he was to be awakened. (Fancy requiring to be 

 awakened after the skin of your tail had been parted from 

 the fat and firmly fastened to most strong cords ! ) I was 

 trying to picture to myself the living, breathing reality 

 with blubber and pulsating flesh (instead of hay) beneath 

 the wrinkled skin, and a throbbing brain behind the small 

 wary eyes ; when a weather-beaten old sailor at my side, 

 jerking his head towards the walrus, volunteered the 

 remark 



" I's 'unted 'e." 



Just the man I wanted. He was a most intelligent 

 fellow, listening for awhile with apparent interest to my 



