158 WILD BEASTS OF THE WORLD 



fat or blubber. The moustaches are formed of very thick bristles as 

 big as crow-quills. 



The Walrus is a huge, bulky animal, heavily built, and reaching, 

 in the bull, a length of twelve feet, or even more : an ordinary weight 

 is two thousand pounds. There is not much difference in size between 

 the sexes, and the cow's tusks may be as long as the bull's, but they 

 are more slender, and tend to converge at the tip, whereas the male's 

 are divergent. The length is about a foot, but some exceed this, 

 and they are liable to be shortened by breakage and wear, for the 

 Walrus keeps its tusks well in use ; they serve not only as weapons 

 and the skill with which the beast uses them is remarkable, it being 

 able to strike in almost any direction but also as grapnels to help 

 to secure a hold when the beast is landing, and as rakes for ploughing 

 up the sea-bottom in search of food. 



This food is varied in character, but commonly consists of bottom- 

 living sea animals such as clams and other shellfish, sea-urchins, 

 starfish, sandworms, and so forth. Flesh from the carcases of dead 

 Whales is also devoured, and seaweed is found in the stomach, though 

 there is some doubt as to whether this does not get swallowed 

 accidentally. Possibly this is the case, as' the shellfish eaten are often 

 bolted whole, but the evidence on the whole would seem to show that 

 the Walrus is a sort of marine Pig, and will eat practically any 

 organic substance that it can easily obtain. 



The Walrus is naturally most at home in the water, and is very 

 clumsy in its movements on shore; there, however, it spends a good 

 deal of time in sleeping or basking. It has enormous strength, and 

 can break holes in ice six inches thick with its tusks ; and these are 

 freely used on its fellows, for, although sociable, it is a pugnacious 

 beast. When a herd of Walruses is lying for the most part asleep, 

 on an ice-floe or rock, some are always kept on the alert by the 

 practice each one has, when waking, of dealing his neighbour a dig 

 with his tusks, the unfortunate recipient of course awaking, and passing 

 on the kind attention. They have, however, much real attachment 

 to each other, and are dangerous when hunted in the water, not only 



