UTILIZATIOK OF THE SKINS OF AQirATIC ANIMALS. 325 



neath. At times the long, bushy, and somewhat tapering- tail is tipped 

 with white. Minks from southern localities gonerall}^ have fuller and 

 thicker tails than those from farther north. 



The fur is generally dark })luish-brown and sometimes dark l)Iue in 

 case of very dark pelts. It is dense, glossy, short, and exceedingl}^ 

 durable, making it one of the most economical furs in use. The skin 

 is very thin, the thinnest of all the aquatic fur- bearers, yet it is ver}^ 

 tough. The mink pelts from cold localities are the choicest and most 

 brilliant; those from southern regions are coarser, harsher and with 

 less difference between the fur and the overhair. The}^ are marketable 

 only when taken late in autumn, in winter, or early in spring. 



When the fur of the mink was very fashionable and correspondingly 

 higli in price thirty years ago, several attempts were made to raise 

 these animals in confinement. But it was found difficult to rear them 

 when large numbers were kept together, the breeding being reduced 

 and the females quarreling and fighting and frequentlv killing the 

 young. Practical!}' all these experiments ended in failure. 



MARKETS FOR MINK SKINS. 



Few furs surpass that of the mink in richness of coloring, qualit}^, 

 and durability; j^et, owing to the capriciousness of fashion, it has 

 frequently sold at a comparatively low price. It furnishes a striking- 

 example of the vagaries of fashion in the fur trade. Formerly it was 

 used almost solely for imitating marten. About 1860 the fashionable 

 world took a fancy to it for cuff's, collars, trimmings, and even for 

 garments of various sorts, resulting in increasing the market price of 

 the pelts from about 50 cents each to $8, $10, or even $20 for veiy 

 choice skins. A mink muff" of good qualit}" sold for $75 or $100, and 

 a full-depth mink wrap sold at times as high as $1,500. Indeed, dur- 

 ing the sixties, it was the leading fashionable fur of this country. 

 Then its popularit}' gave way to fashion's demand for change of color 

 and shorter pelage, and the price of prime skins decreased from $15 

 each in 1861 to $8.50 in 1866, to $3 in 1878, and to $1.25 in 1883. For 

 man}^ years the mink was out of favor and it almost disappeared from 

 the market, But among those wbo could be independent of fashion, 

 this warm, durable fur maintained its former popularity. It is now 

 somewhat more in demand, but is moderatel}^ cheap compared with 

 prices prevalent thirty-five jears ago, rarely selling for more than $3 

 each wholesale, except for very choice skins. In consequence of its 

 many good qualities, it merits much greater popularity than it enjoys. 



About 100,000 mink skins are sold in London each year. This 

 represents about 55 per cent of the total product of mink, the other 

 skins being disposed of at private sale to furriers in Europe and 

 America. About 80 per cent of the total product is obtained from 

 within the limits of the United States, the remainder coming princi- 

 pally from Canada. 



