396 Department of Conservation of Louisiana 



America are very poor in quality and color. In Louisiana, 

 otters from the very mouth of the Mississippi, such as 

 Pass a la Loutre, are very good in color, size and density 

 of pelage, as these waters always run cool, even in the 

 hot summer months. 



To grade as a No. 1, an otter skin must be prime and 

 flesh-colored, full furred all over the body, as well as 

 rich brown in color. An otter skin that is well furred, but 

 which shows an unprime pelt, will be graded as a No. 2. 

 It is quite certain that a skin with a dark blue pelt will 

 be flat as to fur and light as to color, and graders will 

 only consider as a No. 3 or even a No. 4 and pay accord- 

 ingly. 



Otter skins show at times a decided tendency to be 

 "singed", as a slight curling of the ends of the fur and hairs 

 is termed, and regardless of size and primeness of pelt 

 or other qualities will never grade above a No. 2 or No. 3. 



The otter must be cased, like a muskrat, mink, opossum 

 and skunk, when prepared for the drying board and, while 

 it should be well stretched for this operation, the trapper 

 should guard against over-stretching in an endeavor to in- 

 crease its size. 



Skunk Fur 



Skunk skins are graded first of all as prime or unprime 

 and when this is determined attention is paid to the pelage. 

 Dark blue or black-splotched pelts are graded as "poor 

 skins" and, more frequently, termed "trash," and the trap- 

 per paid accordingly. The primeness of the pelt decided, 

 the grader classifies the skin into one of four divisions: 

 Black, Broad stripe, Short stripe, Narrow stripe. 



To be graded a "black" the skunk skin should be en- 

 tirely black of pelage with the exception of a white patch,, 

 sometimes called a "star," on the head, or it may have a 

 short, narrow stripe of white, which does not extend be- 

 yond the neck. This is the most valuable pelt. 



A "broad stripe" has two very wide streaks of white 

 hair, which extend the full length of the body. This is the 

 least valuable pelt. 



For a skunk skin to be called a "narrow stripe," the 

 white markings must extend in a narrow width along each 



