EXTERNAL CHARACTERS. 37 



wenigstens kampfen sie so lange, bis sie toclt zur Erde uieder- 

 fallen."* 



Anotlier account of the Walrus, from its being one of the 

 earliest extant, is also of especial interest in the present con- 

 nection. Though repeatedly copied, in part or wholly, by the 

 earher authors, and also by von Baer, I think it deserving of 

 reproduction here. It was written by Prof. A. E. Vorst, and was 

 based on the young specimen taken to Holland in 1G13. It is 

 here copied from De Laet (Descrip. Indite Occident.), by whom it 

 was published in 1633 : 



" BeUuam banc marinam ^adi, magnitudine vituh, ant canis 

 Britannici majoris, Phocae non dissimilem; capite rotundo, ocu- 

 lis bovillis, naribus depressis ac patulis, quos modo contrahe- 

 bat, modo diducebat, aurium loco utrinque foramina; rictus 

 oris rotundo nee ita vasto, superiori parte aut labro mystaca 

 gestabat setis cartilagineis, crassis ac rigidis constantem. Infe- 

 rior maxiUa trigona erat, hngua crassa bre^dsque, atque os interius 

 dentibus planis utrimque munitnm, pedibus anterioribus posteri- 

 oribusque latis, atque extrema corporis parte Phocam nostratem 

 plane referebat. Pedes anteriores antrorsum, posteriores retror- 

 sum spectabant cum ingrederetm-. Digiti quinque membrana in- 

 tersepiente distinct!, eaque crassa, posterioribus digitis ungues 

 impositi, non prioribus, cauda plane carebat. Postica parte 

 repebat magis quam incedebat. Cute crassa, coreacea, pilisque 

 brevibus ac tenuisibus obsita vestiebatur, colore cinereo. Grun- 

 nitum apri instar edebat, sen crocitabat voce gravi et valida. 

 Eepebat per aream extra aquam, quotidie per semihoram aut 

 amphus doho aqua pleno immittebant, ut se ibi oblectaret. Ca- 

 tulus erat, nt ferebant qui attulerant ex nova Zembla, decern 

 hebdomadamm, dentes sen cornua exerta, ut adultiores, non- 

 dum habens, tubercula tamen in superiori labro percipieban- 

 tur, unde brevi proditura facile apparebat. Ferum et validum 

 aiiimal calebat ad factum, validique per nares spiribat. Pul- 

 mentarium ex avena miliove comedebat lente et suctu magis, 

 quam deglutiendo, herumque gestantem cibum ac offerentem 

 maguo nisu ac grunnitu accedebat, sequebaturque, nidore ejus 

 allectus. Lardum ejus gustantibus hand insuave visum est. 



* Herrn Hans Egede, IVIissioniirs und Bischofes iu Gronland, Beschreibung 

 luid Natur-Gescliiclite von Grouland, iibersetzet von D. Joh. Ge. Ki-iinitz. 

 Mit Knpfern. Berlin, verlegts August Mylius, 1763. pp. 106-108. Since 

 transcribing tbe above I have met "witli an early (1768) English translation 

 of this work, in which an English rendering of the above description may 

 be found at p. 125. 



