UTILIZATION OF THE SKINS OF AQUATIC ANIMALS. 341 



operation ma}- 1)0 postponed until the tannine,^ is at an end. After the 

 tanning- is conipleted the nap is shaved oft' and the hnitlier scoured and 

 prepared for stuffing with oils and then finished in the usual manner. 

 The new chrome or metallic tannages seem likely to produce excellent 

 results in porpoise tanning and will doubtless soon be adopted. 



Most of the beluga skins are tanned in Dundee and Glasgow, but 

 several small tanneries in the province of Quebec prepare this leather. 

 Porpoise tanning- in the United States has been mainly at Newark, N. J. 



Leather made from porpoise hides is remarkable for its tractilitj'-; 

 a portion one square foot in area is easil}^ drawn out to li feet in 

 length, losing correspondingly in width, a feature possessed by few 

 other leathers. This makes it especially adaptable for shoemaking, 

 for in whatever direction the foot is thrust by the weight of the body 

 the leather will adapt itself to that shape. It is also exceedingly dur- 

 able, readil}^ outlasting two or three pairs of calfskin shoes. It has 

 another recommendation apparent only when it is wet; then it swells 

 up, becoming almost twice as thick as in its dry condition, and absorbs 

 water but allows very little to penetrate it. This, added to its strength 

 and suppleness, makes it most desirable for hunting and wet- weather 

 boots, since it is not easily penetrated by moisture under ordinary 

 conditions. It is sold by the pound, the price varying from $2.25 to 

 $3.75 per pound, each side weighing from li to 4 pounds. Ordinarily 

 a pound is sufficient for about three pairs of shoes. 



The skin of the beluga is among the very best for leather purposes 

 of any obtained from either aquatic or land animals. It resembles 

 the hide of the Hatteras porpoise in many respects, especially in hav- 

 ing the fibers running mostly in one direction and in possessing great 

 tractility. However, the beluga is more solid and durable than the 

 latter. Beneath the nap it has a membrane like the "shell" on the 

 rump of a horse,"' which becomes soft and flexible in dressing and 

 makes strong and durable leather. In comparing the tensile strength 

 of the two, it is found that a shoestring' of average size made of beluga 

 sustains a weight of about 300 pounds, whereas one of Hatteras porpoise 

 supports 85 to 100 pounds, and calfskin only 40 or 50 pounds. If a 

 porpoise lace lasts three months, the life of a beluga lace subject to 

 similar usage is said to be nearly two j'^ears. Beluga leather keeps its 

 shape when made into shoes, whereas porpoise leather gives with the 

 movement of the feet. Considering its great tensile strength and the 

 large pieces obtainable, it is apparent that beluga leather is remarkably 

 well adapted to the purpose of machinery belts. A continuous piece 

 60 feet long and 18 inches wide has been cut from a single skin. 



a The shell in horsehide is the flat muscle spread over the horse's rump from the tail to the forward 

 point of the hips and extending down to the legs, making an oval-formed sheet about 2 feet long and 

 li feet wide in the widest part. This muscle grows firmly to the grain of the skin and furnishes 

 remarkable pulling power. When shaved clean of its sinewy matter and properly tanned, this shell 

 makes most durable leather. The members of the equinal or horse family are said to be the only 

 land animals possessing this membrane, but it extends nearly over the entire skin of the beluga. 



