276 THE WALETJS. 



of the walrus are among the strongest and most 

 incontestable proofs to be found in the hand- 

 writing of Nature throughout all the animal 

 kingdom in support of the theory of creation 

 by slow and gradual causes, and in opposition 

 to that of abrupt, unnatural, and uncalled-for 

 interpositions of the Divine will. 



There are very few or no animals in. the 

 world which seem to me to constitute so clear 

 and well-defined a link between two different 

 and distinct races ; and I can hardly understand 

 how any reflecting and unprejudiced person 

 can attentively study the habits of the walrus 

 when alive, or ev^en attentively examine his 

 skeleton when dead, without coming to the 

 conclusion that he forms a plain and unmis- 

 takable link between animals inhabiting the 

 land and the cetaceans or whales. 



The origin of the walrus is a much more 

 difficult and complicated problem to solve, 

 than to account for the divergence from the 

 ori":inal stock of the white bear ; but never- 

 theless, I think the walrus must have origi- 

 nated in much the same sort of way as that by 

 which I have attempted to explain the origin 

 of 77. maritimus ; only, for the creation of the 

 walrus, I must claim the indulgence of my 



