Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1893-03-31
THE WALRUSD00
sLAUGH TERED BY WHOLESALE
IN BERING SEA.
They Are Butchered for Their Tusks
Pew Animals Are More Valu-
able To Arctic Man-Iheir
Habits Described.


IA Her Majesty's ship Bios
Y v som, went north in the
year 1926 for the purpose
Of CO. operating with Parry and Frank
lin, who were attempting to force their
way to the westward, from Battin's Bay
to Bering Straits, the enormous number
of walrus hauled up on the beaches or
gathered in herds on the floating ice
cakes was source Of frequent comment
and never ending interest.
At that time the animals Travelled in
herds OF thousands, and the air was
filed with their bellowings as they
gamboled around the ship. 1t was an
easy matter to kill them, and they sell
dom offered to attack man, but instances
have been recorded where a female,
whose young had been taken or killed,
had followed boat and even attempted
to climb inside in her mad desire 10 re.
cover her lost one. These instances are,
however, rare, and many of the stories
of narrow escapes of boats crews may
safely be accredited to an over vivid
Imagination. When, about fifty years
ago, whalemen began to follow whales
into the Arctic, walrus were still abund-
ant and so continued until the decline in
the price OF whale oil caused the New
Englanders to turn their attention to the
walrus as a source of revenue. Then be-
gan systematic slaughter of the animals
for their tusks alone, and the result has
been the almost total determination of
the species. AS a food supply for the
natives, it is already practically extinct.
Few animals are more valuable to man
in the Arctic regions or could be less
easily spared than the walrus, says the
San Francisco Chronicle. Its flesh is
good and its thick skin furnishes the
best kind of material for covering the
native houses and boats. The skin of
the fipper and throat is made into boots,
and the bones and tusks are fashioned
into spears, arrows, pipes and almost
every implement used by the Eskimo.
The warus is one of the largest quad
rupeds existing, as it attains length of
twenty feet and weight of nearly a ton,
1t has small head, with remarkably
thick upper lip, covered with long, stiff
bristles; the neck is thick and extremely
short; the red brown skin hangs loosely
on the ponderous trunk, and the short
feet terminate in broad, tine.like paddles,
resembling large flaps of leather.
Its movements on land are very slow
and awkward, but in the water it has al
the activity of sealers, and even sur
passes them in speed. 1t cannot remain
under water for any length of time, be-
ing compelled to come to the surface for
air. At such times cloud of dense
vapor is emitted from the nostrls, and
forms an easy means by which hunters
may follow pursued animal.
Like the seals the walrus are exceed.
ingly gregarious, and love to lie on the
ice or on the beaches closely huddled
together. When doing on shore the
herd is easily approached from the lee
ward, but as their scent is remarkably
keen attempts to get within close range
from a windward position are almost
certain to result in arousing them and
causing q stampede to be made for the
water. The appearance of the uncouth
animals al such time is ludicrous in the
extreme, as in their anxiety to reach the
water they will roll over and
over each other in the wild
est confusion. Native hunters asser.
that the walrus herd is never left with
out guardian on the lookout. This
member of the herd holds himself as
nearly erect as possible, with head up
and eyes, ears and nostrils open and
and alert for danger. His position is so
taken that should he be overcome with
drowsiness and allow his head to drop
his tusks will sharply prick his sleeping
neighbor and cause that ami nal to stir
himself and relieve the watch.
The tender solicitude of mother for
her young Is in few cases greater than
that shown by the walrus. Frequent
instances are known where a female
walrus has fearlessly placed herself be-
tween young calf and danger, even re-
ceiving spear wounds or shots from guns
aimed at the calf. This strong trait is
so we'll known that the natives frequent
ly capture young calf and tame it to be
used as means Of attracting the older
animals within reach of their spears.
When swimming in company with her
calf the little one is usually from one to
two feet directly in front of the mother,
who, at the first sign of danger, places
her tusks back of the calls neck and
bears it down beneath the surface of the
water. have also seen the young wal
rus carried under the forearms or flipper,
of the mother while swimming on the
surface. The affection of the mother
walrus for its young is, however, not re-
ciprocal, as the calves of those captured
will follow the walrus that escape when
an attack is made on the herd.
In the first few years of the walrus in
dustry the native method of capturing
the animals, by use of the harpoon and
lance, was adopted by the whalemen,
but since 1870 the use of the rifle has al
most entirely superseded that of the
primitive and less destructive weapons.
At the present time the most common
method OF capturing is as follows: A
herd OF walrus having been discovered
on the ice the ship Is worked up to
within two or three miles of their posi-
ton, always keeping to loeward. Then