DOMESTICATION. 143 



first time ; but it was quite jiAvkward ami got niuler tlie fioe, 

 whence it Avas unable to extricate itself, until, guided by its 

 piteous 'mouMng\ its master went out on the ice and called 

 it by name, when it immediately came out from under the 

 ice and was assisted on board again, apparently heartily sick 

 of its mother element. After survi\ing for more than three 

 months, it died, jlist before the vessel left for England. As I 

 was not near at the time, I Avas unable to make a dissection in 

 order to learn the cause of its death." * . 



Mr. Lamont thus describes a young Walrus he saw on board 

 the ISTorwegian brig " Xordby," in the possession of Captain Eric- 

 son : '' Before parting company, we went on board the ' Nordby ' 

 to see a young live Walrus ('a leetle boy- Walrus', as Ericson 

 in his broken English called it), which they had on board as a 

 j)et. This interesting little animal was about the size of a sheep, 

 and was the most comical fac-siinile imaginable of the old Wal- 

 rus. He had been taken alive after the har2)Ooning of his mother 

 a few weeks ago, and now seemed perfectly healthy, and tame 

 and playful as a kitten. It was, of course, a great pet with all 

 on board, and seemed much more intelligent than I believed ; 

 the only thing which seemed to destroy its equanimity was pull- 

 ing its whiskers, or pretending to use a 'rope's end' to it, when 

 it would sneak off, looking over its shoulder, just like a dog 

 when chastised. They said it would eat salt fish, salt-beef, 

 blubber, or anything offered it ; but 1 strongly advised Ericson 

 to give it, if possible, a mixtui'e of vegetables or sea-weed along 

 with such strong diet. I assured him that, if he succeeded in 

 taking it alive to the Regent's Park or the Jardin des Plantes, 

 he would get a large price for it ; but before I left Spitzbergen 

 in September, I heard with regret that the curious little beast 

 had died." t 



Mr. Lamont, on one of his later Arctic expeditious, captured 

 several young Walruses, and seems to have had three alive at 

 one time on board the "Diane." The first was captured on May 

 27, and safelj* landed on board, " uttering the most discordant 

 <5ries which ever assailed the ears of man." ."A harsh note or, 

 more ijroperly speaking, noise, something between a gnmt and 

 IX bark henceforth, till we were hardened to the annoyance, 

 broke our slumbers at night and destroyed the peace and quiet 

 of the day. Though particularly anxious to secure and carry 



*Proc. Zoul. Soc. Lond., 18G8, pp. 131, 43i. 

 t Seasons witli tlie Sea-horses, pp. 39, 40. 



