THE WALRUS. 



Thefe animals are gregarious, and have been fometimes feen in great 

 numbers fleeping on the fea more, or on iflands of ice; but they are 

 extremely my, avoiding fuch places as are frequented by mankind, and 

 plunging impetuoufly into the water upon the lead alarm: yet, if they 

 happen to receive a wound, they become bold and furious, and will 

 inftantly unite in attempting a revenge. It is even faid, they will attack 

 a boat, and ftrive to link it by ftriking their teeth into its fides, bellowing 

 at the fame time in the moft hideous manner. 



The females produce one or two young at a time, which they fuckle 

 upon land. Their ordinary food confifts of fea weeds, fifh, and fhells. In 

 afcending mafles of ice, or flone, they make ufe of their teeth, as hooks, to 

 fecure their hold, and to draw up their unwieldy bodies. 



They are killed for the fake of their teeth, which are comparable to the 

 fin ell ivory for whitenefs and durability: and for their oil, of which an 

 ordinary Walrus will yield half a tun, equal in quality to that of the 

 whale. Their greatelt enemy, exclufive of man, is the White Bear; but the 

 combats between thefe animals are generally terminated in favour of the 

 Walrus, whole vicfory relults from the dreadful wounds infli&ed on its 

 opponent by its tulks, which fometimes meafure two feet in length, and 

 weigh from three to twenty pounds each. 



It is faid, that the Walrus hunters, on the Magdalene Ifles, in the Gulf 

 of St. Lawrence, watch the landing of thefe animals, and, after waiting a 

 favourable opportunity, go on fhore, armed with fharp fpears, with which 

 they cut their throats. Great caution is, however, requifite on this occailon, 

 to prevent the fugitives, who tumble headlong into the fea, from crufhing 

 their difturbers by their vaft weight. The knowledge of this chace appears to 

 have been of great antiquity, a report having been made concerning it, by O&her 

 the Norwegian, in the reign of Alfred; and we have fufficient reafon to fuppofe 

 that the teeth of the Walrus, in early times, afforded a fubltitute for ivory to 

 the inhabitants of the northern part of the globe. 



The Walrus inhabits the coafl of Spitzbergen, Nova Zembla, Hudfon's 

 Bay, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the Icy Sea, as far as Cape Tfchuktfchi, 

 and the adjacent iflands 



