CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 103 



ous other kinds, including foxes, wolves, otters, beavers, fishers, wild- 

 eats, lynx, bear, white weasel, martens, wolverines, and mountain lions, 

 amounted to 1,500,000 skins. 



Hence it must be seen that in its fur-bearing mammals the United 

 States has an extremely valuable asset, and one which, when the income 

 is estimated, ranks ahead of some of the other natural resources. Cali- 

 fornia formerly ranked high as a fur-producing state. (See figs. 27 

 and 28.) 



The skins of fur-bearing mammals have, since earliest history, fur- 

 nished men with clothing. In fact, so important were they in the early 

 history of North America that they formed not only a medium of 

 exchange among the Indians, but also among the early settlers. 



As far as money value is concerned, furs furnish the most valuable 

 of all the products to be derived from wild animals. At the present 

 time, although furs have ceased to be a necessity and have become a 

 luxury, yet the demand for them is steadily increasing. Furs have 

 become scarce not only because less are produced, but also because more 

 are demanded. 



A number of factors have been instrumental in increasing the demand. 

 Population has greatly increased and the relative number of people in 

 sufficiently good circumstances to be able to purchase furs has also 

 increased. The added interest in fashionable dressing to be seen in 

 our cities and the growing use of the automobile, with its luxurious 

 fittings and need of warm clothing, have also been instrumental in 

 increasing the use of furs. 



This increased demand for furs has rapidly depleted our supply. 

 Hunters and trappers have penetrated the most secluded haunts of the 

 fur-bearers and a decrease is to be noted everywhere. Nor has the 

 hunter and trapper been the sole agent in the decrease, for the advance 

 of civilization has cleared away the forests, drained the swamps, and 

 continually de troyed the natural homes of fur-bearing animals. The 

 Ijondon sale of furs by C. M. Lampson & Company shows that all of 

 the more valuable furs have decreased in numbers from 20 to 95 per 

 cent. Along with this decrease of the numbers of pelts of the more 

 valuable bur-bearers has come an immense increase in the numbers of 

 pelts of the commoner mammals, such as the muskrat, skunk, and lynx. 

 In the offering at the London sales of January, 1914, more pelts of every 

 species except the mink and the civet were offered than were offered 

 in 1913. The increase in the price of pelts during the last twenty years 

 has averaged about 25 per cent for the staple fur-bearers of Canada. 



There are two important ways in which we can meet this steady 

 decrease among the fur-bearers. First of all, we can encourage the 

 breeding of fur-bearers in captivity ; and, second, we can pass laws 

 which will protect them in the wild during the summer season when 

 their fur is not prime, or we can entirely close the season, thus reducing 

 the number taken each year. By the use of both methods can we alone 

 hope to supply the present demand for furs. 



Those who have attempted in recent years to domesticate fur-bearing 

 mammals have found that it is a profitable industry. Already fur 

 farming has progressed beyond the theoretical and experimental stage 

 in Canada and the eastern United States. 



