AMONG THE WALRUS HERDS 133 



with one twist to gain the water. The bodies sink 

 instantly and do not rise again for several days, after 

 decomposition has inflated them. We never hoped to 

 recover any if they left the ice. If instantaneously 

 killed by a brain shot the enormous, flabby hulk fell 

 limply on the ice. If, however, it lay on a slope, or part 

 of it overhung the edge, it was pretty sure to sUp off and 

 be lost. 



At this lot Collins, I and Kleinschmidt fired in rapid 

 succession and all the walrus disappeared. Collins was 

 totally baffled, for he said he had a dead sure aim. 



Kleinschmidt then took Elting to another small group 

 with the same lack of success. 



From very early times the ivory tusks of walrus have 

 been an article of trade with Europe, and nearly a thou- 

 sand years ago men were trying to describe this animal, 

 which they had never seen. The mediaeval natiu-e-fakers 

 added detail to detail until an extraordinary legend had 

 grown up about this uncouth monster. 



Nordenskjold, for example, quotes Albertus Magnus, 

 who, in the year 1280 described a walrus hunt as foHows: 

 "The walrus, while the sleeping animal hangs by its large 

 tusks to a cleft of the rock, is taken by the hunter cut- 

 ting out a piece of its skin and fastening to it a strong 

 rope whose other end is tied to trees, posts, or large 

 rings fixed to rocks. The walrus is then wakened by 

 throwing large stones at its head. In its attempts to 

 escape it leaves its hide behind. It perishes soon after, 

 or is thrown up half dead on the beach." 



The walrus is a relative of the seals. Like them it 

 has developed the fore and rear legs into flippers for 

 swimming, while retaining the toe nails on each digit. 

 The body is largest at the shoulders and tapers off grad- 



