THJE WALRUS. 



Taking of walrusses on the Magdalene islands. 



which seem particularly adapted to their wants; 

 abounding in large shell-fish, and affording them 

 a convenient landing. On their arrival they 

 crawl up the sloping rocks of the coast in great 

 numbers, and frequently remain for many days, 

 when the weather is fair, without food; but on 

 the first appearance of rain they retreat precipi- 

 tately to the water. The inhabitants suffer them 

 to come on shore, and amuse themselves for a 

 considerable time, till they have acquired some 

 degree of boldness; for, at first landing, they are 

 so exceedingly timid as to surfer no one to ap- 

 proach them. At a proper time, the fishermen, 

 taking advantage of a sea wind to prevent the 

 animals from smelling them, and with the assist-? 

 ance of dogs, endeavour in the night to separate 

 those that are the farthest advanced from those 

 next the water, driving them different ways. 

 This is called making a cut, and is generally ac- 

 counted a very dangerous undertaking, since it 

 is impossible to drive the animals in any particu- 

 lar direction, and often difficult to avoid them. 

 The darkness of the night, however, deprives 

 them of every direction to the water, so that they 

 stray about, and are killed by the men at leisure, 

 sometimes to the number of fifteen or sixteen 

 hundred. They are then skinned, and the coat 

 of fat that surrounds them is taken off, and dis- 

 solved into oil. The skin is cut into slices of two 

 or three inches wide, and exported to England 

 and America. 



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