UTILIZATION OF THE SKINS OF AQUATIC ANIMALS, 317 



FUR OF THE COYPU OR NUTRIA. 



Somewhat similar to the beaver and the miiskrat is the coypu, some- 

 times called the South American beaver. In the fur trade it is known 

 exclusivel}' as nutria, from the Spanish 7iutra, the otter, owing to the 

 similitude of its fur to that of the otter. It inhabits the river banks 

 and low lands of South America, and is most numerous in the vicinity 

 of Rio de la Plata. The hunting season is from May to October, and 

 after the pelts have been cured l)y drying- they are sold to traders, 

 who bale and ship them to Hamburg, London, and New York. 



Nutria fur is short and silky, and except on the back is quite thick, 

 being choicest underneath the body. Its similarity to l)eaver fur is 

 noticeable, differing principally in being much shorter and less brilliant. 

 The overhairs are bristly, from 1 to 3 inches in length, and of a brownish- 

 3'ellow colo)'. This fur was introduced in conmierce about I.SIO. as 

 a substitute for that of beaver in hat-making. After the silk hat 

 came into fashion, nutria was gradually adopted as a dressed fur and, 

 as in case of nuiskrat, largely in imitation of beaver, otter, and fur-seal. 

 Probably one-third of the output is yet consumed in hat-making, being 

 used for choice grades of soft hats. 



The product fluctuates considerably, but is always large. Two or 

 three generations ago live or six million skins were sometimes shipped 

 from South America in a single season, and over 5,000,000 have been 

 received at New York in one j^ear. Owing to imperfect curing, or 

 improper storage afterwards, many of the pelts arrived in faulty con- 

 dition and were suitable for little other than glue manufacture. The 

 abundance of the animals was greatly reduced, and at the same time, 

 owing to conditions in the hat trade, the value of the fur decreased, so 

 that the output shrank from 6,000,000 pelts annually to about one- 

 tenth of that number. But during the last two or three years the 

 output has been much greater, amounting in 1900 to somewhat less than 

 2,000,000 skins, obtained principally from the valley of Rio de la Plata. 

 It is estimated that about 75 per cent of the product is used in the 

 United States. Owing to the varying supply, the price has fluctuated 

 considerably, ranging from |1 to 30 cents per pound. The skins are 

 usually sold })j weight, one of fair size weighing 6 or 8 ounces. 



The dressing is quite similar to that of beaver skins, the principal 

 difference being that the pelt of the nutria is not ''broken'' (see 

 p. 291), the overhairs are pulled out ])y the picking knife instead of 

 with the beaming knife, the pelt is fleshed instead of being shaved, 

 and it is oiled after fleshing instead of before. These differences in 

 treatment are due principally to the greater thinness and weakness of 

 the pelt. In dressing, the nutria skins are soaked in water over- 

 night and washed thoroughly in warm soap water until the membrane 

 is perfectly clean. The water is then removed and the skins prepared 

 for plucking b}^ drying the fur and overhair, at the same time keep- 



