UTILIZATION OF THE SKINS OF AQUATIC ANIMALS. 295 



AQUATIC FURS USED BY HATTERS. 



During- the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries an important if 

 not the principal use of aquatic furs in Europe was in making- fashion- 

 able hats, commonly called beaver hats, beaver fur being- the chief 

 material in their malve-up. The general adoption of the silk hat about 

 sixty years ago resulted in greatl}" reducing the quantit}' of aquatic furs 

 used by hatters, but those manufacturers are 3^et large consumers of 

 these articles for the production of fine grades of soft hats. 



The principal felting furs among the aquatics are nutria, muskrat, 

 beaver, fur-seal, otter, and mink, named in the order of the extent to 

 which they are now used. Rabbit, cony, and hare furs are used far 

 more extensivel}' than all the foregoing- combined, owing to their 

 cheapness, but are less desirable than most varieties of aquatic furs. 

 Hatters' furs are ])oth cut and blown, the former being taken from the 

 whole skins, and the latter from small pieces, clippings, roundings, 

 and other waste obtained in cutting skins for sewing into garments. 



The choicest felting fur is that of the beaver; but its high cost limits 

 its use in hat-making. A felt hat of average size and weight made of 

 fur cut from choice beaver pelts could not be made for less than $500 

 per dozen, and no demand exists for such expensive goods. But manu- 

 facturers receive a quantity of beaver cut from damaged skins of little 

 value as dressed fur and also considerable blown from clippings and 

 the waste from cutting skins into garments. The choicest beaver fur 

 for hatters' purposes is obtained from the cheeks of the animal, with 

 thaffrom the belly, the back, and sides, following in the order named. 



Beaver clippings sell for about $1 to $1.2.5 per pound, and the fur, 

 when blown free from hair and impurities, sells for §8 or $10 per 

 pound. Cut beaver has been sold as high as $22^1: per pound b}^ brokers 

 3^et in the business. The quantity of beaver fur used by hat-manu- 

 facturers throughout the world averages about 6,000 pounds annually. 

 It is inade into very light soft hats, which sell wholesale at about $80 

 or $90 per dozen. These are very durable, and if occasionally cleaned 

 or dyed may be worn almost indefinitely. A small demand still exists 

 for the old fashioned beaver-napped hats, shaped somewhat like the 

 present style of silk hat, being the fashionable headgear for the guards 

 on drag^ and coaches, and to a small extent for ladies' riding hats. 



The next highest grade of fur used by hat-manufacturers is nutria, 

 which is the standard choice fur for malvjng into soft felt hats. It is 

 estimated that about one-third of the total product of nutria skins are 

 cut for hatters' use, and in addition the hat-manufacturers receive 

 large quantities of blown fur from manufacturers' clippings. Nutria 

 is ver}^ nearl}^ as desirable as beaver for felting, selling at present for 

 about 80 per cent of the value of the latter, whereas in the dressed-fur 

 trade it is worth only 30 per cent as nmch as an equal area of beaver 

 fur. During the past twenty-five years the average value of cut and 

 blown nutria fur has ranged between $2.25 and $7.50 per pound. In 



