UTILIZATION OF THE SKINS OF AQUATIC ANIMALS. 



287 



and Mr. Joseph Ullman, the following estimate is made of the number 

 of aquatic skins produced in the United States and in all other countries 

 combined during' the year 1900, and their value in the wholesale trade: 



Classified statement of the j)roduct of aquatic furs iu 1900. 



Designation. 



Beaver . . . 

 Fur-seal . . 



Mink 



Muskrat . 

 Nutria . . . 



otter 



Sea-otter . 



Total value 



United States. 



Number of 

 skins. 



8,000 



24, 000 



578, 000 



4,035,000 



14, 600 

 330 



Value. 



660 



8io: 



665: 



93, 

 133, 



All other countries. 



Number of 

 skins. 



58,000 



71,485 



150, 000 



1, 250, 000 



1,950,000 



19, 040 



260 



2, 302, 100 



Value. 



S301, 200 

 1,471,000 

 330, 000 

 138, 000 

 444, 000 

 170, 860 

 105, 560 



2, 960, 610 



Total. 



Number of 



skins. 



66,000 



95, 485 



728, 000 



5, 286, 000 



1,950,000 



33, 640 



590 



Value. 



$341, 060 

 2,131,000 

 1,140,000 

 703, 000 

 444, 000 

 264, 110 

 239, 540 



5,262,710 



During the summer months the skins of most of the fur-bearing 

 animals are practicall}^ worthless, the thickest and finest part of the 

 fur being shed as warm weather approaches, growing again in the fall 

 to protect the animal in winter. This deterioration furnishes great 

 protection to the animals, their value in the summer pelage being so 

 small as to not warrant their capture. Furs in best condition are 

 designated "prime," and this state is indicated by the color of the 

 pelt. That of a prime skin is generall}" very light and clear, but as 

 warm weather approaches it becomes bluish and dark. Most aquatic 

 furs in the United States become prime about the middle of November 

 and remain so until March, but beaver and muskrat are not thoroughlj^ 

 prime until late in December and are good until the last of April, while 

 the fur of the otter may be prime as late as the end of M^ixy. There 

 are two prominent exceptions to the general rule of taking fur-bearers 

 during cold weather onl}^, viz, the sea-otter and the fur-seal. The fur 

 of the former is prime throughout the year, and the latter is taken 

 principall}' during the summer for convenience of capture. 



In addition to the protection afforded b}^ the poor condition of the 

 pelage, many governments have interdicted the capture of certain fur- 

 bearing animals from a definite date in the spring to a fixed date in 

 the autumn. There is no uniformity in these regulations in the dif- 

 ferent States and frequently in different counties in the same State. 



None of the aquatic fur-bearers is utilized to any extent for food, 

 though the meat of the muskrat is used by some persons; nor are 

 these animals valuable except for the furs, which constitute the prin- 

 cipal, and in most instances the sole, object of their capture. 



With the exception of the taking of the fur-seals on the rookeries, 

 practically all the aquatic furs are obtained by a a'esort to skill and 

 stratagem. Many muskrat, mink, and otter are obtained by farmers 

 and villagers. During cold weather, when furs are prime, compara- 

 tively little work is done in rural sections, and thousands of men and 



