312 EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



or four hours. Next they are placed with .sawdust in tubs, where thej^ 

 are tramped by barefooted workmen for al)out three hours, each tub 

 containing about twenty skins. 



On removal from the tramping tubs the pelts are thoroughly 

 stretched by hand, and the leather side dampened over night prepara- 

 tory to shaving on the following day. Shaving is the most difficult 

 feature and is intrusted onl}^ to skilled workmen. Each skin is placed, 

 fur down, on a perfect!}^ smooth hard-wood beam, similar to that used 

 in skiving, and by means of a skiving knife the operator shaves off the 

 membrane of the pelt until the roots of the fur are almost visible. 



The skins are again stretched lengthwa3\s and crossways by hand, 

 dried, and for the second time placed in the tramping tubs with hard- 

 wood sawdust for further softening and leathering. After two or 

 three hours' tramping they are removed, straightened or stretched 

 out, and returned for two or three hours further tramping. The}'^ 

 are next thoroughly beaten with bamboo sticks to remove the saw- 

 dust, and then combed with a fine steel comb to lighten up the fur. 

 The skins are then placed on a beam and by means of a large flat- 

 bladed knife, sharp as a razor, a workman shaves over the top surface 

 of the fur, removing all scattering hairs and impurities, thus complet- 

 ing the dressing process. 



While it is not customary to d3^e beaver fur, many light skins are 

 blended to a darker shade, and a few are dj^ed in nuich the same man- 

 ner as fur-seal. Some few skins are bleached golden brown, and a 

 smaller number to a creamy white. Some are silvered by passing- 

 lightly over them a solution of sulphuric acid, and some are made a 

 golden yellow by means of peroxide of hydrogen. 



About twenty years ago many beaver skins were "pointed,'' the 

 plain solid color being ornamented by inserting white hairs at irregu- 

 lar intervals, in imitation of the pelage of the sea-otter or the silver 

 fox. The hairs were generally sewed in the pelt by wig-makers, but 

 in some cases they were firmly fastened with cement. Badger hairs 

 were most frequently employed, but white hairs of the gray fox, 

 cony, and skunk were also used. On account of its varied white tips, 

 the hair of the Egyptian ichneumon was also in great demand, being- 

 superior to the hair of the fox, or even the badger. Some skins were 

 likewise ornamented with the white tips of small feathers taken from 

 the breast of the grebe and less frequently of the peacock. This 

 ornamentation was quite fashionable from 1881 to 1881. 



Beaver fur is especially serviceable for making hats because of its 

 remarkable felting characteristics and its durability and glossiness. 

 So strong are its felting properties that coats made from cloth of this 

 material, manufactured solely by the felting process, have been known 

 to wear for years, and it is claimed that in former times beaver fur 

 was sometimes felted for hosiery purposes. While it is the most 

 desirable of all furs for hat-making, its high cost prevents its general 



