246 ECONOMIC MAMMALOGY 



their benefit. From 1870 to 1880, 100,000 walruses were killed on 

 the northwest American coast, yielding 1,996,000 gallons of oil, worth 

 $1,000,000, and 398, 868 pounds of ivory, reducing their numbers 50 

 per cent in that brief period. 36 A quarter-century ago about 30,000 

 pounds of tanned walrus hides, valued at $25,000, were imported to 

 the United States annually. 37 In Europe the slaughter has been as 

 great. At one rookery in Norway 600 were killed in six hours. 38 At 

 Ingshong, Siberia, the natives, after the walrus had become too scarce 

 to supply their needs, established a close season, opening the season 

 for one day only after the freeze came and permitting each man to kill 

 only enough for his winter's use. Since then "the inhabitants of this 

 village always have plenty of walrus meat to eat, walrus hides for 

 their dwellings and boats, and oil for fuel and lighting." 39 Bernard 

 says that walruses now seldom land on the Alaska coast, since they 

 have been so persistently hunted. Consequently the natives kill them 

 at sea. Being unable to bring the meat and hides ashore, they are 

 wasted, only the ivory being brought in. 40 Perhaps its ivory, even more 

 than its oil and hide, has caused the undoing of the walrus. In twelve 

 years, 1874-1885, the Arctic whaling fleet reporting at San Francisco 

 alone brought in 260,485 pounds of walrus ivory, the ivory adding 

 much to the profits of walrus hunting. 41 Ball says that the food of 

 walruses consists of clams, marine snails and other mollusks which 

 frequent shallow water and sand bars. 42 



ORDER RODENTIA GNAWING MAMMALS 

 INCLUDING LAGOMORPHA 



Of the more than 12,000 species of mammals, much the largest order 

 is Rodentia, including squirrels, mice, rats, prairie-dogs, gophers and 

 many other groups. It seems best, in order to present the economic data 

 concerning these and somewhat related groups without too much repe- 

 tition, to include Lagomorpha, the hares, rabbits and pikas, in accord- 



89 Stevenson, Aquatic products in arts and industries, Rept. U. S. Fish Comm. 

 for 1902, p. 214. Clark, The Pacific walrus fishery, The Fisheries and Fishery In- 

 dustries of the United States, 1887, Sec. v, Vol. 2, Part xvn, 311-318. Lucas, Ann. 

 Rept. U. S. Natl. Museum for 1901, p. 618. 



87 Stevenson, Utilization of the skins of aquatic animals, Rept. U. S. Fish Comm. 

 for 1902, p. 337. 



38 Lucas, Ann. Rept. U. S. Natl. Museum for 1901, p. 618. 



39 Bernard, Local walrus protection in northeast Siberia, Journ. Mammalogy, iv, 

 224-227, 1923. 



40 Bernard, Walrus protection in Alaska, Journ. Mammalogy, vi, 100-102, 1926. 



41 Bull. U. S. Fish Comm., vi, 89-90, 1886. 



42 Ball, Ann. Rept. Smithsonian Inst. for 1901, pp. 687-688. 



