276 THE WALRUS. 



of the loalrus are among the strongest and most 

 incontestable proofs to he 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 even 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 

 original 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 



