The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1904-09-08
BY FRANK r. BULLEN, F.R.G.S..
Author of ssThe Cruise of the Cachalot,

OidiA - 30 1dC from De1nS we'll 0d-
vanced that we do not yet know why
the elephant with its comparatively in
significant brain should be so much
more intelligent than the OK one eighth
Of the elephants bulk, and with a
brain almost as large. Or why the
sperm whale should be so intelligent
with brain about the same size as the,
OK and body one hundred times
larger. Perhaps in the latter instance
there is distribution Of brain at points
along the spinal column so that mes
sages from the outlying parts of the
body should not have SO far to travel.
I do not here try to be funny, but only
state what has been seriously suggest
ed by naturalists.
THEIR STRONG PARENTAL IN
STINCT.
In one respect, at any rate, the wal
rus is the equal Of any of the higher
intelligences. That is in the parental
quality. No animal cares for it's Off
spring so long or more lovingly. No
animal will willingly undergo more
suffering and privation TO. the sake of
it's young. There can be no doubt that
the female walrus suckles it's young and
provides other food for it as we'll dur
ing the latter part of the period, for
two years. This has been, think,
abundantly proved by observation, and,
moreover, the great canine teeth which
develop into the formidable tuSks char
acteristic Of this animal, do not show
more than an inch OF two until it is
two years old. But the mother never
seems to weary Of hen huge burden,
the baby, if it be a male, often reach
ing its mothers proportions before it
is weaned. With infinite, devoted pa
tience she cares for it, watches over it,
defends it with her own body, and,
one is tempted to say, loves her burden
SO much that she is grieved when she
must lay it down. However that may
be, it is certain that the walrus for all
their uncouth appearance and extraor-
binary method of living $50 totally diff
ferent from all other sea mammals
whatever) enjoy their lives to the full
in the best sense of the term. In one
respect, indeed, they are extremely
fortunate; with the exception of man
they have no enemies.
The great Polar bear does not lightly
engage in combat with "Awuk," since
he knows that in those formidable
tusks he has opposing weapons that
are quite a match for even his tremen-
dous claws and teeth, while the hide of
the walrus is SO thick and tough as to
be almost impenetrable to even the on
slaught Of the great white terror of the
Arctic seas. Consequently, the walrus
lives fairly peaceful life among his
fellows. He does not prey upon them,
and nature has so equipped him that
they cannot prey upon him. But man
has wrought terrible havoc among the
walrus. Even as far back as 1927 it is
recorded in receipt presented at Ber-
gen that the Greenlanders paid their
tribute to the Crusades in walrus tusks.
And all along the Labrador coast as
we'll as the Gulf of st. Lawrence,
where walrus now would be almost
as great a curiosity as a seal on the
English coast, they were a century ago
SO numerous that hundred. were
slaughtered in a day. Various causes
have, however, reduced the hunting
of the Walrus to an Insignificant matter
confined chiefly to the Eskimos, who
are fairly entitled to the produce of
their hunting, since they are sportsmen
in the best sense of the term. They
co not kin for the sake Of killing, but
for their very life, and the walrus is
one Of their chosen objects Of the chase
for his succllencc (from an Eskimo
standpoint, from his lack Of speed, and
from his love Of shallow waters, where
he finds the humble mollusks upon
which he feeds. Such gaps as the
Eskimos make in the ranks Of the wal
rus will do no more than preserve the
natural balance necessary. If only
civilized man will let the waIrus alone,
having found that the hunting does
not pay, there viii soon be as many, as
ever there were to people, if not ex-
aetly to beautify, the lonely Arctic re-
Cions.-Na II ork Post.
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