154 



THE WALEUS. 



A Walrus is a valuable auimal, for even in this country its skin, 

 teeth, and oil are in much request, while among the Esquimaux its 

 body furnishes them with almost every article in common use. Among 

 civilized men, the skin of the Walrus is employed for harness aud other 

 similar purposes where a thick and tough hide is required. The tooth 

 furnishes very good ivory, of a beautiful texture, and possessing the ad- 

 vantage of retaining the white hue longer than ivory which is made from 

 the elephant tusk. The oil is delicate, but there is very little to be ob- 

 tained from each Walrus, the layer of fatty matter being scarcely more 

 than a hand's-breadth in thickness. Among the Esquimaux the Wal- 

 rus is put to a variety of uses. Fish-hooks are made from its tusks, the 

 intestines are twisted into nets, its oil and flesh are eaten, and its bones 



The Walrus or Morse. 



and skin are also turned to account by these rude but ingenious work- 



men. 



The Walrus is found in vast herds, which frequent the coasts of the 

 arctic and antarctic regions, and which congregate in such numbers 

 that their united roarings have often given timely warning to fog- 

 bewildered sailors, and acquainted them with the near proximity of 

 shore. These herds present a curious sight, as the huge, clumsy an- 

 imals are ever in movement, rolling and tumbling over each other in 

 a strange fashion, and constantly uttering their hoarse bellowings. 



The movements of the Walrus when on land are of a very clumsy 

 character, as might be supposed from the huge, unwieldy body of the 

 animal, and the evident insufficiency of the limbs to urge the weightv 

 body forward with any speed. When this creature is hurried or 



