Thomas Bender, age 11, of Williamsport Penna.

Where did we get the name walrus?

The Danish seamen were fascinated by a huge fellow they found in the North Atlantic ocean, Some of the big fellows weighed a ton, Surely, they thought, he must be a kind of whale. So they named him with their words for whale and horse, Since then, the name of the strange fellow has been somewhat shortened, But walrus originally meant whale‑horse.

As it happens, the walrus is not related either to the whale or the hors, He is a very distant relative of the seal. The poor fellow has been badly hunted for his hide and for his blubber. But he can still be seen occasionally in the far North Atlantic and in the bitter cold Bering Strait.

Maybe you have wondered if 'the big fellow has any connection with a walrus moustache. Yes, he has. The solemn looking fellow has a pair of large drooping front teeth. And round his mouth he has a bristly, droopy moustache, It was once considered stylish for men to wear a solemn‑looking droopy moustache. Anyone who has seen a walrus could not help being reminded, So that kind of moustache had to be called a walrus moustache.