The National tribune., 1890-04-24
ATLANTIC WALRua.

descendants Of land animals proper. or, possibly
came more directly from the ancestral stock of
the present Slrenia represented by mauatees.
duRongs, etc, whereas il IL unquestonable
that extant Pinnipedia occupy much higher
position in the orgnnic series than the former
animals. Both IN their osseous structure, their
muscular and other systems. aud the viscsral
functions by which these are preserved and
made operative, hn-footed mammals form
group by themselves. This has been subdi-
vidcd (chiety on account of certain differences
ia the length and power Of tho hind limbs the
size of their feet and anatomy Of the toes) into
smaller aggregates, coutaiuing,on the one hand,
walruses and cared seals, and. ON the ether,
common soals-Phocide aud the species in
cIuded In this geaus.
Trichechidir, or the walrus family, are mainly
carnivorous. but their canine teeth (organs
always considerably developed in the flesh.
eating orderj are enormously enlarged or at
least those OF the upper jaw are so, these struc-
lures sometimes extending l6 inches beyond
the point of their insertion, aud they thus
serve to distinguish the true waruses from
other seals. Tusks of such character involve
accessory cunformaiions for their Insertion and
support, 50 that the additional cartiagnous
aud bouy tissues implicated in tho construction
Of their sockets, enlarge the facial aspect of tho
head, and give IL an entirely different outline
from that which IL generally presented by
teeth together with the postorior molsrs, early
IN life. aud when fully mature has but one pair
of ineisors,
THE TusRa BEFORE MENTIONED,
and three pairs OF grinders. All animals of
this kind present a strikingIy clumsy and uu.
calmly appearance their nccks are shorter
than those of the cared seals. aud the bones of
the arm aud thigh. together with the ribs, are
larger than in any OF these Otariide.
k..s g
| extant, but the family originally consisted Of
| three genera, some Of whose specific forms werc
| considerably larger than any which exist at
! present EKtaut Triebechldp, namely, Odohae-
| nus rosmaTus aud Udobpnus obcsus or the At
! lantic and Pacific walrus. are very bulky crea-
lures, aud the latter Is the larger and more gro-
| tesque looking Of the two. Both, however, are
otherwise much alike having the same dispro-
| porti0nately small heads, comma-shaped nos
| trils absence of external ears, aud excessive de-
| yelOpment of the fOrehand " of the body The
| wider and deeper muzzle Of the Pacific species
| is bcset with somewhat shorter aud stonter
| brstes than its Atlantic eongener possesses,
| and the tus<s are also less massive and more
| ineHrved. Owing To the enlargement of tho
| body anterorly, II wairus looks quite different
| ~ when seen from tho rear or in front. From
| the latter point of view IL is undoubtedly AN
imposing looking beast and as might DO in
ferred ffem It's bulk aud offensive armature is
| often very dangerous animal To encounter.
As in most boreal forms, tho soes of the feet
are structually specialized TO prevent them from
/ slipping upon ice only in this Instance the
usual hairy covering Of tho foot pads Is replaced
| by furrows aud ridges in tho integument itself,
aud in this manner 80 much aid To i0comotion
| rs their imperfect limbs (which in front arc
| only free from the elbow downward) can rem
| der, is made etiectual. Walruses have no froo
| tail, such the cared aud earless seals possess
aud although while young the animals are
| thickfy covered by coat OF short yellowish-
| brown hair. this drops off gradually with adj
| vancing years, aud when the creature becomes
0ged, its skin Is almost bare. Lexington
| speaks OF the voice AS something between
| the mooing of cow aud the deepest baying
| OF IA mastifi," and generally, when the beasts
ensemble IL e0nsidered-its size, it's cleaning
| tusks, and what many writer's term roar"
| and also the appearance of what Prof Nourse
| describes as its ferocous head, 10 is not sur
| rrising that such traits, taken together with
che numerous and
OFTEN FATAL CASUALTIES
which walrns hunters have experienced, should
originate myths and legends and fantastic
stories, like those which are scattered through
the earliar pages of liarriss "Navigantium
atque itinerantium Bibliotheca," or any SINH
lar records OF the old voyagers.
With regard 10 the range or geographical
49,, :" N"'S i""'' ~ '"oio - no uoubt
that the Atlantic species is more widely seat
tered than its Pacific eongener. Eastward, says
Loekingtoh, the former extends somewhat he
yond the mouth of the Jenesei River and from
thence Is prolonged OH the polar and Greenland
coasts aud through the Arctic Archipelago to
the 97th meridian. Walrnses have been found
as far E0rth as men have penetrated, and they
come southwark to the shores of Labrador and
liudsons Bay. In former times Noyaya
Xemyla, Spizbergen and the litt0raI of Nor
way were famous wairus grounds; bat these
ii.L.l.