. The naturalist's library; containing scientific and popular descriptions of man, quadrupeds, birds, fishes, reptiles and insects; . ged in battle, they growl hideously; after a defeat or re-ceiving a wound, they mew like a cat; and the note of triumph after a 1 Phoca cristata, Gm. 2 Phoca ursina, Lm. 27 210 MAMMALIA—MORSE. victory somewhat resembles the chirping of a cricket. These animals arechiefly found on the islands in the vicinity of Kamtschatka, from June toSeptember; after which they remove, some to the Asiatic, and some to theAmerican coast. On Behrings Island they are so numerous a
. The naturalist's library; containing scientific and popular descriptions of man, quadrupeds, birds, fishes, reptiles and insects; . ged in battle, they growl hideously; after a defeat or re-ceiving a wound, they mew like a cat; and the note of triumph after a 1 Phoca cristata, Gm. 2 Phoca ursina, Lm. 27 210 MAMMALIA—MORSE. victory somewhat resembles the chirping of a cricket. These animals arechiefly found on the islands in the vicinity of Kamtschatka, from June toSeptember; after which they remove, some to the Asiatic, and some to theAmerican coast. On Behrings Island they are so numerous as almost tocover the whole shore ; but it is a singular fact, that they uly frequent thatpart of it which lies towards Kamtschatka. Ursine seals live in families, each male being surrounded Dy from eightto fifty females, whom he watches with the most vigilant jealousy, andtreats in the most tyrannical manner. They are of an irritable disposition,and have frequent battles. So tenacious are they of life, that they will livea fortnight after receiving wounds which would be speedily mortal to otheranimals. THE WALRUS, OR MORSE.». The name of sea cow, or sea horse, by which the walrus is most gene-rally known, has been very wrongly applied; since the animal which itdenotes has not the least resemblance to the land animals of that name:che denomination of sea elephant, which others have given it, is much bet-ter imagined, as it is founded on a singular and very apparent walrus, like the elephant, has two large ivory tusks, weighing fromten to thirty pounds each, which shoot from the upper jaw; its head also isformed, or rather deformed, like that of the elephant, and would entirelyresemble it in that part if it had a trunk; but the walrus is deprived of thatinstrument, which serves the elephant in the place of an arm and hand, andhas real arms to make use of. These members, like those of the seal,are shut up within the skin, so that nothing appears outwardly but its
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, bookidnaturalistsl, bookyear1851
