Mr Pennant, in his Synopsis Quadr. p. 835,[2] has given a very good description of this animal under the name of Arctic Walrus, but I have no where seen a good drawing of one.  Why they should be called sea-horses is hard to say, unless the word be a corruption of the Russian name Morse, for they have not the least resemblance of a horse.  This is, without doubt, the same animal that is found in the Gulf of St Laurence, and there called Sea-cow.  It is certainly more like a cow than a horse; but this likeness consists in nothing but the snout.  In short, it is an animal like a seal, but incomparably larger.  The dimensions and weight of one, which was none of the largest, were as follows:—­

Feet.  Inches.

Length from the snout to the tail 9 4 Length of the neck, from the snout to the shoulder-bone 2 6 Height of the shoulder 5 0

Length of the fins           { Fore          2     4
{ Hind          2     6

Breadth of the fins          { Fore          1     2-1/2
{ Hind          2     0

Snout                        { Breadth       0     5-1/2
{ Depth         1     3

Circumference of the neck close to the ears  2     7
Circumference of the body at the shoulder    7     10
Circumference near the hind fins             5     6
From the snout to the eyes                   0     7

lbs. 
Weight of the carcase, without
the head, skin, or entrails            854
Head                                    41-1/2
Skin                                   205

[Footnote 2:  Mr Pennant, since Captain Cook wrote this, has described this animal in a work which he calls Arctic Zoology.  We refer the reader to N deg. 72. of that work.—­D.]

I could not find out what these animals feed upon.  There was nothing in the maws of those we killed.

It is worth observing, that for some days before this date, we had frequently seen flocks of ducks flying to the southward.  They were of two sorts, the one much larger than the other, the largest were of a brown colour; and, of the small sort, either the duck or drake was black and white, and the other brown.  Some said they saw geese also.  Does not this indicate that there must be land to the north, where these birds find shelter, in the proper season, to breed, and from whence they were now returning to a warmer climate?

By the time that we had got our sea-horses on board, we were, in a manner, surrounded with the ice, and had no way left to clear it, but by standing to the southward, which was done till three o’clock next morning, with a gentle breeze westerly, and for the most part, thick, foggy weather.  The soundings were from twelve to fifteen fathoms.  We then tacked, and stood to the north till ten o’clock, when the wind veering to the northward, we directed our course to the S.W. and W. At two in the afternoon, we fell in with the main ice, along the edge of which we kept, being partly directed by the roaring of the sea-horses, for we had a very thick fog.  Thus we continued sailing till near midnight, when we got in amongst the loose ice, and heard the surge of the sea upon the main ice.