The principal consumption of ivory is for making ornamental utensils, mathematical instruments, boxes, combs, dice, and an infinite variety of toys. This substance is also used for painting miniatures upon, for which, however, it goes through a peculiar preparation. It is capable of being stained of various and very beautiful colours. The shavings of ivory, like those of hartshorn, may, by boiling, be converted into a jelly; and they possess similar virtues. Bone is frequently substituted for ivory, but it is easily known by its pores, which are not to be seen in ivory, and by its wanting the beautiful white veins or marks by which ivory is distinguished. The _flesh_ of the elephant is eaten by the negroes of Africa; and the ancients attributed many medicinal qualities to the _blood_ and the _trunk_. 22. _The GREAT MORSE, or ARCTIC WALRUS_ (Trichechus rosmarus), _is a marine quadruped of enormous size, with short fin-like feet, two great tusks pointing downward from the upper jaw, the lips peculiarly thick, the upper lip cleft into two large rounded lobes, and no front teeth in either jaw_. _These animals inhabit the sea near the northern parts of the coast of America, and feed on sea-weeds, corallines, and shellfish. They are sometimes nearly eighteen feet in length, and ten or twelve in circumference. Their skin is of dark colour, and thinly covered with short brownish hair. They have small eyes, and small circular orifices in place of external ears._ We are informed that these animals, under the name of horse-whales, were objects of pursuit so early as even the reign of King Alfred, and on account chiefly of their _tusks_ and _oil_. The former are a close-grained kind of ivory, and weigh from ten to near thirty pounds each; and the latter, which is equally valuable with that of whale oil, is in such abundance that the body of each animal yields nearly half a tun. This oil is burned in lamps, is used for the same purposes as whale-oil, and even eaten by the inhabitants of Greenland with their food. Of the _skins_ of the arctic walrus the Greenlanders make a thick and strong harness for their sledges and carriages; and they sometimes twist narrow strips of them together to form cables. They constitute an important article of export from the coast of Labrador. The _tendons_ of these animals are capable of being split and used as thread. So numerous were arctic walruses formerly in the northern seas, that we are informed of the English, in 1706, having killed, on Cherry Island (betwixt Norway and Greenland) near eight hundred of them in six hours; and that, in 1708, they killed nine hundred in seven hours. Of late years, however, their numbers are much decreased. ORDER III.--FERÆ. 23. _The COMMON SEAL_ (Phoca vitulina, Fig. 2) _is a marine quadruped with a large and round head, no external ears, the neck smooth, the body tapering gradually to the tail, the legs smooth, and all the feet webbed._