4 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
tjuLV 2, 1898. 
hungry feeding on the carcass of a walrus. I have some- 
times heard of desperate conflicts between the walrus 
and the bear. Both these creatures are found in sum- 
mer on the large island of St. Mathews, in the Bering- 
Sea, and among the ice fields; of course the bear is 
hungry, and when he smells meat may attack the wal- 
rus, but I have often thought the walrus would smile 
if he had the smiling faculty when he viewed the pugilis- 
tic efforts of the bear to "knock him out," when the 
greatest harm that he could do would be to slightly 
scratch the epidermis or bite the clumsy short feet. 
More than a thousand walrus carcasses left on the Moller 
Islands were found the following year very little dis- 
turbed, although the peninsula of Alaska adjacent 
abounded in great cinnamon bears, fully as large and 
strong as the grizzly of the California coast range. The 
bear paths were well worn and numerous, although 
previous to our killing this herd no paths had existed 
on the island. 
From these observations I am led to believe that no 
harm could be done the walrus. Although the walrus 
is very clumsy on land he is never found far from water, 
and if in the scrap the bear got in the way and the 
walrus could strike him fairly, so great is their strength 
the great tusks would be driven entirely through the 
bear. So it seems to me that these two creatures, in- 
habiting the same region for centuries, must have 
learned their lesson; and that the bear must know the 
utter futility of trying to breakfast on walrus. 
Some years ago I was amused on reading a story in 
one of the leading magazines describing the ferocity 
oi the Greenland walrus. There was an illustration of 
a walrus catching a man on the ice in its mouth and 
rushing rapidly for the sea. It was amusing to one who 
had seen so many of these animals and knew that the 
first effort they would make would be to get away from 
man and seek refuge in the sea. The tusks of the ani- 
mal grow directly downward on each side of the mouth 
from its massive skull; and between them is the rather 
small mouth, which does not protrude beyond the tusks 
at all, but is rather within the lines. By no possibility 
could they seize in the mouth and carry a human body. 
They are very timid, and shy of the presence of man, 
but heroic battles are fought over the females; and if 
they are proud of scars they have scars to show. So 
thickly are these massed they might be taken for a 
natural growth upon the skin were they not to be seen 
in all stages of healing. At Port Moller cuice a walrus 
was killed that had been struck by another, whose tusk 
had penetrated the thick skin and broken through the 
skull itself, and through the wound the brain was ooz- 
ing. The animal was much emaciated and did not 
come to land with the rest, but kept away by himself. 
Their appearance in the water after hundreds of them 
have left the ice and surround the boat, is not at all 
ferocious, but rather of great curiosity. They come 
to the surface as closely as possible, uttering hoarse 
guttural cries. At such a time a thump on the boat or 
the splash of an oar will send them all beneath the 
surface, to reappear in a few moments, then to be as 
easily dispersed as before. 
Accidents sometimes occur when a walrus comes up 
near the boat, and hooks his tusk over the gunwale, 
sometimes in the effort to escape filling the boat with 
water and staving it; but I always thought the walrus was 
as glad to get away as we were to have him go. They 
never come up near a boat except when a herd has been 
driven off the floe and a boat is in the immediate vicin- 
ity, as before described. 
The eye of the walrus has not the beautiful appearance 
of that of the seal, but is bloodshot and repulsive; it 
is not round, but elongated, and can be turned backward 
as though that was the natural position. 
The tusks are of great use in hauling upon the ice. 
Stretching its head well over the edge, the creature 
strikes its tusks into the ice. and with the strong muscles 
of the massive neck drags itself forward, also using 
the pectoral flippers to aid the movement, and in this 
way gains position on the surface. I once saw a single 
individual on a fragment of ice which had worn away 
by the actio© of the waves in imitation of a monster 
toadstool, and he was sleeping quietly upon the crown; 
but before he had drifted out of sight the stem washed 
away and the strange craft and its passenger parted 
company. 
The walrus are only found in high northern latitudes. 
They w r erc long hunted by the Norwegians for the oil 
and ivory. The ivory was of great value to the Eskimo 
in the stone age, for they were able to fashion from it. 
many useful weapons 'and implements of the chase, 
some of which are so well adapted to the purpose in- 
tended that they are largely used to this day. The pres- 
ent toggle iron or harpoon used by the whalemen was 
adapted from the Eskimo ivory weapon used for the 
same purpose, and these are to-day unexcelled for the 
capture of the whale. 
The ivory cut out for shoeing sleds has been found to 
move more easily than any other substance, except the 
iced runners of these people; polished steel and brass 
are not to be compared to the ivory, because the steel 
when it strikes a lump of earth adheres to it, but the 
ivory glides over with very little friction. 
The skin of the walrus is eaten with a relish. Once 
when told an oldxhief was eating walrus skin I thought 
he must be having a hard time, but I afterward found 
that it was much more palatable than the flesh of the 
seal, and it has not the strong gamy flavor. Made into 
a souse and put in vinegar was often used by our party. 
The skin of a female walrus when prepared by the 
Eskimo will cover an oomiak 30ft. long. The skin is 
split in a very ingenious way by the natives. It is cut 
across the shoulders and tail, then tightly stretched 
on the ground and dried until dry on the outside. They 
then begin at the tail and split the skin through the 
center; the middle being still damp and soft, the knife 
follows the softest portion. It is in this way cut near 
to the shoulder, where a sufficient skin is left to hold 
the two sides together; it is then stretched and dried 
again and laid away for use. The Siberian and St. 
Lawrence Island Eskimos are very expert at this work. 
There are no walrus in the Southern Hemisphere. 
In the far south the waters are of great depth, with no 
shallow seas, nor low ice fields, which form in winter 
and are melted away by the summer sun; but instead is 
the deep sea, with immense bergs that are more like 
islands drifting away to the north after breaking from 
the great glaciers of the south. 
I was told by a Mr. Root, of New Bedford, who made 
a voyage to the far south in a German steamer in 
search of fur seal, that they steamed for nearly a hundred 
miles along one berg, the walls of which were from 50 
to 80ft, and it was of such vast extent that they pro- 
nounced it an island, and they only discovered their 
mistake when they returned that way and found that the 
supposed land had drifted far away to the eastward. 
In regard to the extermination of the walrus, it 
would seem that they are too well protected in a sea 
that is unnavigable for so large a part of the year, and 
also because of their ability to keep among the ice floes 
in summer out of the reach of the hunters. They are 
not compelled to come to land to bear their young, as 
are the fur seal and sea lion, and some other marine 
mammals. In the day wdien the great polar whale shall 
become a stranger the walrus and hair seal will ever 
remain. They will always be a boon to the Eskimo, so 
many useful purposes do they serve. 
One highly prized dish furnished by the walrus, which 
I almost forgot to mention, is of the clams taken from 
the stomach. The freshly eaten and hard portions, like 
the syphon, make a dainty dish, which is always secured 
by the Eskimo. E. P. Herendeen. 
The National Museum report, referring to Mr. 
Palmer's walrus, which is here illustrated, says: "In 
the discussion of the recent taxidermic work in the 
Museum, which has appeared from time to time during 
the past year in the scientific journals, the Pacific wal- 
rus, which was exhibited at the World's Fair, has been 
severely criticised, and it has been said that it is inar- 
tistic and false to nature. 
The preservation of a worthy memorial to the north 
Pacific walrus is especially desirable, since this is one 
of the species threatened with extinction. Numbered by 
tens of thousands and flocking together in immense 
droves when the American whaling fleet first entered the 
Arctic in 1854, they have now been reduced to a mere 
handful in American waters, and the old males are now 
entirely extinct in the western Pacific, and it is doubtful 
whether this particular phase of the species is to be found 
anywhere. The. specimen shown at the World's Fair 
(PI- 39) is &n admirable example of the old male, and 
since it was acquired only after long and continued ef- 
fort it seems but proper that its truth to nature, as now 
mounted, should be vindicated. 
The skin in question was mounted by a most skill- 
ful and conscientious member of the staff, the chief 
taxidermist, Mr. William Palmer, who spent some 
months on the Pribilof Islands making preliminary 
studies in order to fit himself for this particular under- 
taking. 
Capt. E. P. Herendeen, formerly of the U. S. Coast 
Survey, who was familiar with the Arctic Ocean for 
fifteen" years, and who has seen tens of thousands of 
walruses in the times when they were abundant, in 
1854 afod in subsequent years, and who has been thou- 
sands of them at one time upon the shore at Sandy Point, 
says of the specimen in the Museum: 
"I am satisfied that the mounted specimen is true 
to nature and in every respect, an admirable piece of 
work. The only criticism which I would make upon it 
is that an animal in the attitude of extreme attention 
and activity in which this is represented would be slightly 
smaller about the neck. The arrangement of the 
wrinkles in the skin and the tuberculated appearance of 
its surface are perfect, and the attitude of the limbs can- 
not be criticised.' " 
"That reminds me." 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
"Tone's Partridge Story" in "Flickerings" reminds me 
of Gus F.'s remarkable shot, or rather of one of them, 
for he has had more extraordinary experiences and has 
come out on top oftener than any man I ever met. 
Gus and his old pointer Cap had dropped in to warm 
up. and incidentally to swap a few hunting yarns with me. 
I wasn't very busy, so I told a pretty stiff one as a starter 
for Gus, relying on him for a good one for the benefit of 
a stranger who was waiting for the train. Gus fired a 
stream of tobacco juice at the coal scuttle as a sort of 
range finder, made old Cap charge in the corner, and be- 
gan : 
"One winter morning when Mose and Jim and me was 
all at home on the old farm, Mose came in and said two 
deer had crossed the road and were in on the ridge be- 
tween Two-Mile Run and the hill road. Of course we 
had to gather them in. Jim took his own rifle, I took 
Mose's (and a good one it was too) and Mose took my 
little muzzleloading shotgun. The one I told you about, 
that I made the barrels out of old horseshoe nails, and had 
the gun built in New York city. Cost me a hundred dollars 
to have her built. If I had her again I wouldn't take five 
hundred for her. When she barked at a bird it jest drop- 
ped there. Well, Mose, he took the track and Jim and 
me put for the crossing, and we had 'em both in a 
couple of hours." (The killing of a couple of deer in an 
hour or so was a mere circumstance in one of Gus' 
stories.) 
"Well, after we had hung up our deer the boys pro- 
posed to get a mess of pheasants on the way home. So 
I changed guns with Mose and took mv shotgun. Jim 
and Mose went down the hollow along Two-Mile and I 
took along the brow of the hill jest ahead of them, so 
when they put up a bird I could head it off. Whenever 
a bird would start my way the boys would holler, and it 
was a lucky bird that crossed the deadline alive. Here! 
Charge, you old whelp. I'll break you in two!" 
(This to old Cap, who had got up carefully, one foot at 
a time, and was making his sneak out of the door.) 
"Well, sir, they kept a-comin' till I'd killed eight and 
missed one." (I never could understand how he came 
to miss that one. He didn't make a practice of doing 
that kind of thing.) "T had both barrels empty and was 
just pouring in the shot for another load when Mose 
hollered: 'Look out, here's another.' I see it a-comin' 
like a bullet straight for me with its wings set. Now I 
tell you I wasn't long shoving a wad down on the shot 
and throwing the ramrod on the ground. I give it to 
him as he came head on. Wal, boys, what d'you spose 
that bird done?" 
At this point Gus curled up one corner of his lip till 
his mustache tickled his off eye and fired a line shot of 
tobacco juice at the coal scuttle, and Cap took advantage 
of his preoccupation to run the blockade, and struck 
out for a foraging trip around the neighboring kitchen 
doors. 
"Wal, boys, I shot a little high and tore the head clean 
off him, and he was comin' so straight to me and 
so fast, I hope to never fire another shot if that bird 
didn't strike the muzzle of the gun just where his neck 
joined the breast, and the first thing I knew after the 
gun went off the bird was strung up the gun barrel clear 
up to my hand. 
"Wal, boys, I must be goin'. Here you! Heel! 
Where in thunder has that old imp gone to? Here you! 
Come in." 
As he passed out the stranger heaved a deep sigh like 
a man coming out of a trance. "A most extraordinary 
shot, considering the fact that he forgot to put a cap on 
his gun." Mc. 
mt\e |?## and (§un. 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 
The Hand Car in Sport. 
Chicago, 111., June 18. — Mr. Geo. F. Titus, of Norwalk, 
Ohio, finds occasion to write me as below about con- 
veyances in shooting trips: 
"In your letter to the Forest and Stream of June 4 
mention is made of Mr. G. F. Winslow, of Eau Claire, 
being allowed the use of a special train by which he 
could reach good shooting grounds accessible only from 
the railroad. This was a more modern and sumptuous 
mode of hunting than that enjoyed by a party of sports- 
men of this city, of whom my father was one. It was 
early in the 60s, when this division of the Lake Shore 
was known as the Cleveland & Toledo Railroad. In 
those days game was abundant and life was worth liv- 
ing, from a sportsman's point of view. The conveyance 
used was an ordinary hand car. The start was usually 
made at daylight, and the ear propelled up as far as 
Shedd's cut, a distance of six miles. The run back was 
an easy matter, as the grade is a rather stiff one, the 
car being stopped at the covers noted on the way up. 
Good bags were frequently made, the best being sixteen 
rabbits and nineteen quail to four guns, all the game be- 
ing shot on railroad grounds. To obtain the same 
quantity of game now in this vicinity one would have to 
travel over an entire township. These hand car trips 
were continued at intervals during the fall shooting, and 
only stopped when the increased business of the railroad, 
occasioned by the war, necessitated the running of 
trains every day in the week." 
I have myself, in common with many others who now 
and then find themselves in out-of-the-way corners of 
the country, had reason to bless the man who invented 
the hand car. Once, I remember, I helped pump a car 
from De Motte to Shelby, Indiana, and we had the top of 
the car full of rabbits, more than I should have liked to 
carry. Last week, over in Michigan, while we were trout 
fishing, we ran to and from our fishing points on the 
river by means of a hand car. A year ago, out in the 
Rockies, our party lightened several weary miles by a 
jog on a hand car. In short, in the far countries and the 
new countries, into which the railroad has just come, the 
hand car aids us in our shooting and fishing, and while 
it is not quite so palatial as a parlor car, and runs a few 
harder, it gets you to more fun in fewer townships. 
Wisconsin Game Birds Nestirg. 
Mr. Geo. A. Morrison, of Fox Lake, Wis., writes me 
about the game birds of his locality: 
"We have more bluebills nesting with us this year," 
he says, "than for many seasons past. I think 100 pairs 
a low estimate. Have seen many females waddling onto 
bogs or sunning themselves on the edge. Mr. Waldo, of 
this place, found a nest of Bartramian sandpiper con- 
taining four eggs, while plowing for corn ground on May 
21. Nest was merely a depression on the bare ground. 
Eggs incubated about one week, and a finely-marked 
set, which Mr. Waldo kindly gaA-e me. This is the 
species of upland plover that has the peculiar habit of 
raising its wings till they almost touch, as it alights on 
ground or fence, uttering a long drawn out whistle at the 
same time." 
The Bartramian sandpiper is the bird commonly 
called upland plover in the West. Its long, shrill, sweet, 
mysterious note is known to every boy who ever lived 
on the Western prairies, and every such boy would 
recognize the bird by the description Mr. Morrison 
gives of one of its habits. 
E. Hough. 
1206 Boyce Building, Chicago, 111. 
" A most curious campaign is now progressing in Lee 
county, Georgia," remarked a Georgia representative to 
a Washington Star reporter, "between two popular men 
who are running for the Legislature in that State. Polit- 
ically there is not much difference between them; they 
are plain Democrats with no side line in the shape of 
money issues, but on the issues of the local campaign 
they are very wide apart. The issue between them is 
fish baskets or no fish baskets, and all the other questions 
of the day are temporarily laid aside. The present in- 
cumbent of Legislative honors had a bill passed by the 
Legislature during its last session prohibiting the plac- 
ing of fish baskets, which is but another name for fish 
traps, in the waters of that county. The man who is 
endeavoring to' succeed him has quite a strong following, 
He thinks that fish traps should be allowed so that the 
fish may catch themselves. They are speechifying to 
their adherents nightly and have already got into a 
lively fight." 
