270 TRICHECHId;. 



with the former in its general anatomy, and with the 

 latter in the important point of the functional use of its 

 limbs as supports of its body when on land. Instead of 

 resting on its belly and progressing by the action of its 

 abdominal muscles, as we have seen to be the case with 

 the true Seals, the Walrus walks upright, though in 

 an awkward and shuffling manner, the fore-paws being 

 turned backwards, while the hind-feet are directed for- 

 wards and outwards. In its motions in swimming also, 

 it holds an equally intermediate position, for, while the 

 fore-feet are hardly used by the true Seals, and are the 

 main organs of propulsion in the Otaridcc, all four limbs 

 are employed by the Walrus ; as Dr. Pettigrew remarks, 

 '* so far as the pliysiology of its extremities is concerned, 

 it may very properly be regarded as holding an inter- 

 mediate position between the Seals on the one hand, and 

 the Sea-Bears and Sea-Lions on the other." 



The Walrus is essentially an Arctic animal, and its 

 geographical range has been very much circumscribed by 

 the persecution of man. There can be no doubt that 

 two or three centuries ago it was common on the northern 

 coasts of Scandinavia and at Bear Island, where it is now 

 almost vmknown — in recent times Nilsson only mentions 

 one killed in Nordland, about 1816. It is still plentiful, 

 however, in the Spitzbergen and Greenland seas, and on 

 the coasts of Arctic America, but even there it appears 

 to be rapidly diminishing in numbers. On the west 

 coast of America it was met with by Capt. Cook in 

 latitude 58° 42', and by Dr. Brown as far south as 

 lat. 50°. 



This species can only be regarded as a rare and ac- 

 cidental straggler to our coasts, though it is probable 

 that its occurrence was formerly more frequent than it is 

 now. In the Museum of the Universitv of Cambridafe 



