282 CRUISE OF THE NEPTUNE 



of Hudson bay. It is acknowledged that, with present methods 

 of capture and the difficulties of the chase, only one in four or 

 five of the animals killed is eventually secured. The walrus 

 is necessary for the subsistence of the northern Eskimo and his 

 dogs. The flesh is strong and sustaining, the blubber is abun- 

 dant and good, while the tusks are of great use for shoeing sleds 

 and the manufacture of spears and harpoons, and other hunting 

 and domestic gear. The present value of the walrus to civiliza- 

 tion is small. Oil is made from the blubber, and the skins are 

 used chiefly for ' buffing ' metal goods. The ivory of the tusks 

 is inferior, and only worth about fifty cents a pound. The 

 present price for hides is from eight to ten cents a pound, and 

 consequently the entire products of a large walrus is under fifty 

 dollars in value. 



Taking into consideration the value of the animal to the 

 native, the great waste of life in the killing, and the compara- 

 tive small value to civilization, it might be well to pass regula- 

 tions reserving this animal wholly for the use of the Eskimos. 



