102 



MAMMALIA. 



of sailors without attempting to escape ; so that in half a day pro- 

 digious numbers of them could be destroyed. Grmelin states that 

 some Englishmen killed from 700 to 800 of them in the space of six 

 hours, in 1705 ; and, three years afterwards, 900 in the space of 

 seven hours. In 1640, a captain of a ship, of the name of Kykyrez, 

 killed so many, that his fortune was made in one single campaign. 

 This is how the Walruses were obtained. The crew made 

 a descent upon the shore, and cut off their retreat while they lay 

 stretched out unsuspectingly at some distance ; having done so, they 

 advanced and pierced them through with their lances. A fearful 

 massacre followed ; as the carcasses fell, they were heaped up in a 

 long line, and thus formed a sort of embankment, against which 



Fig 35. — A massacre of Morses. 



those which were trying to escape came and exhausted their 

 strength ; the whole troop were thus knocked do\NTi and killed. 



Now-a-days the same manrouvre very rarely succeeds. Having 

 learnt a lesson from experience, the Morses keep together in bands 

 more or less nrmierous on the rocks and icebergs ; they go but a 

 very small distance from the sea, so as to be able to plunge into it 

 on the least alarm, and they place sentinels during their sleep, so 

 as not to be taken by surprise. Generally, it is necessary to take 

 to the boats, to row after them, and harpoon them in the 

 water. But, as we have said, this operation is extremely dan- 

 gerous, for when wounded they become furious ; they surround 

 the boat in which are their pursuers, and in their desperate efforts 

 try to capsize it (Fig. 26). It takes many a boat-hook, harpoon 

 and gun, adroitly used, to repel the assailants. 



