144 FEROCITY OF WALRUS. 



lapping one another at the points, as is the 

 case with the stuffed specimen in the British 

 Museum. The tusks of old bulls, on the con- 

 trary, generally" diverge from one another, 

 heing sometimes as much as fifteen inches 

 apart at the points. It is a common belief 

 amongst the hunters, that those walruses 

 which have wide- set tusks are the most savage 

 and dangerous, and more particularly if the 

 tusks diverge from one another in curves, as 

 is sometimes, though rarely, the case. I can 

 easily conceive that this opinion is well- 

 founded, because it is evident that a walrus 

 with his tusks diverging at the points must 

 be much handier in the use of them than if they 

 stick straight down, or curve inwards or to- 

 wards his breast. I remember once going on 

 board another small sloop, and seeing the skull 

 of an old walrus with remarkably wide- 

 set tusks lying on deck ; my harpooner re- 

 marked to the captain of the sloop, " That 

 must have been a troublesome customer." " I 

 believe you," said the skyppar ; " he put. his 

 tusks through the boat, and nearly upset us. 

 Look here," he continued, pointing to the 

 bottom of a boat hanging on the davits, " and 

 see what the scoundrel did." A piece had 



