Prairie Red-fox 737 



companies, an average of 53,965 each year. So that the aver- 

 age annual catch of American Red-foxes for fur is about 74,000. 



At the London annual fur sale held by Lampson's, fur of 

 March, 1906, there were 25,496 Red-fox skins. The highest mon- 

 price reached was 41 shillings (^9.84) each for 288 dark skins. ^°^ ■ 

 First-class skins brought usually 15 shillings to 30 shillings 

 (^3.60 to $7.20), but inferior skins sold as low as i shilling and 

 2 shillings (24 cents to 48 cents). 



CROSS- 



The Cross-fox is the half melanism or partly black 

 freak. At the above sales 3,697 Cross-foxes were sold. The 

 highest price realized was 75 shillings ($18.00) each for 26 

 first-class dark skins, but 30 shillings to 35 shillings ($7.20 to 

 $8.40) may be considered ruling prices for first-class, from which 

 they graded down to 20 shillings ($4.80) for second-class, and 

 7 shillings ($1.68) to 15 shillings ($3.60) for third-class. 



The most valuable fur in the world is doubtless that of the 

 the rare and wonderful Sea-otter. A prime skin of this brings fox 

 from $500 to $800. Next to the Sea-otter comes the Black or 

 Silver-fox. This is, of course, simply a superb melanism of 

 the common Red-fox. It is intense black with more or less 

 silver tipping of the hairs on head and rump, the less tipping the 

 higher the value. 



Miller Christy sends me the following interesting item: 

 "At the Hudson's Bay Company annual fur sale, held in 

 London, March, 1900, 601 Silver-foxes were sold, bringing an 

 average price each of ;^5o ibs. id. ($247), and 3 especially 

 fine pure black skins brought, respectively, ;^3io ($1,507), 

 £t,j^o ($1,652), and i;400 ($1,944); that is, ;i^i,o5o or $5,103 

 for the 3. 



The record price for a Black-fox is, according to D. A. 

 Boscowitz, ;^540 ($2,625), given by Grunwaldt, of Paris, in 

 1889, at C. M» Lampson & Co.'s sale. Such a purchase, 

 however, can scarcely be considered a representative commer- 

 cial transaction. 



