140 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 



By fermiision of the Hen. Walter Rothschild] [Tring 



MALE WALRUS 



The " tusks " of the tvalrus are put to many practical uses during life, 

 and after death are much -valued for the ivory 



THE WALRUS. 



The distinguishing features of the walrus 

 have been mentioned in the introductory re- 

 marks to this chapter. It should be added 

 that it has an external ear-passage, though no 

 external ears, and very thick and bristly whis- 

 kers. It is practically confined to the Arctic 

 Circle, though once its range extended to the 

 British coasts (where its bones are found in 

 the Suffolk Crag) and to Virginia. The skull 

 of one was found in the peat at Ely evidence 

 that it once ascended rivers. 



The walrus stands alone ; it is a real mon- 

 ster of the deep. Strange and awful stories 

 were told of it by some of the early voyagers 

 to the Arctic Seas ; but Captain Cook gave a very different account of his impressions of 

 the walruses which he saw on the north coast of America: "They lie in herds of many 

 hundreds on the ice, huddling over one another like swine. (They lie just like a lot of pigs 

 in a yard.) They roar and bray so very loud, that in the night, or in foggy weather, they 

 gave us notice of the vicinity of the ice before we could see it. We never found the whole 

 herd asleep, some being always on the watch These, on the approach of the boat, would 

 awaken those next to them ; and the alarm being thus gradually communicated, the whole 

 herd would awake presently. But they were seldom in a hurry to get away, till after they had 

 been once fired at ; they then would tumble over one another into the sea in the utmost con- 

 fusion They did not appear to us to be that dangerous animal which authors have described, 

 not even when attacked. Vast numbers of them would follow us, and come close up to the 

 boats ; but the flash of the musket in the pan, or the bare pointing of it, would send them down 

 in an instant. The female will defend her young to the last, and at the expense of her own life, 

 whether in the water or upon the ice ; nor will the young one quit the dam, though she be dead ; 

 so that if one be killed the other is certain prey." The long pendent tusks, bristly whiskers, 

 small bloodshot eyes, and great size lent colour to the terrifying tales of the walrus. But more 

 ancient voyagers than Captain Cook told the truth that the " morses," as they called them, were 

 harmless creatures, which often followed the ships from sheer curiosity. They sleep on the ice 

 like elephantine pigs, and dive and rout on the sea-bottom for clams, cuttle-fish, and seaweeds. 

 Probably the long tusks are used to rake up mussels and clams ; they also help the walrus to 

 climb on to the ice. A young walrus was kept for some time by the members of the Jackson- 

 Harmsworth Expedition, and was found to be an amusing pet. One kept on board a Dundee 

 whaler used to sleep with an Eskimo dog, and got into the same kennel with it. It ate blubber 

 and salt pork, but liked the sailors' pea soup better than anything else ; it was most sociable, and 

 could not bear to be alone would tumble down the hatchway to seek the society of its beloved 

 sailors, and scramble into the cabin if the door were open. When it fell ill and before it died, it 

 seemed most grateful for any attention shown to it. The parent walrus shows the greatest cour- 

 age in trying to defend the young one. Walruses are now scarce; but as the ivory is the only 

 part of them of much present value, there is a chance that they may not be killed off entirely. 



THE TRUE SEALS. 



The TRUE SEALS, with their greatly modified forms, heads set almost on to their shoulders, 

 with no neck visible, have well-developed claws on all the toes, and in the typical species have 

 double-rooted and small cheek teeth. The number of the incisors is variable. The GRAY SEAL 

 of the North Atlantic is a large species which visits the North British coasts and the Hebrides. 



