44 THE FUR TRADE OF AMERICA 



which royalty was crowned. It was also a favorite evening opera 

 cloak for the wealthy, or neck piece for light summer wear and even- 

 ing dress ; so why inquire too closely whether ermine were rabbit 

 or cat with black dots stuck on ? The badge of true ermine was the 

 sulphur shade, not the black tail tip ; but that could be fixed up 

 with a paint brush ; so why inquire too closely when the values were 

 so fabulously different, that only the rich could afford one skin, 

 and only the poor the other ? 



Everybody couldn't afford silver fox, but everybody could af- 

 ford "Baltic fox," which was rabbit and was just as warm. 



Don't curse high heaven for the innate dishonesty of mankind ! 

 Rabbit are so prolific they are a pest. They can never be depleted 

 used as fur ; and every rabbit pelt so used saves the use of some 

 rarer skin. 



Americans have been trapping skunk now for over 300 years, and 

 from odors that greet motors flying over country roads, the skunk 

 is still with us going strong. He is, indeed, about the only kind of 

 road arrester, who can punish a speed devil adequately ; so don't 

 judge the little skunk sporting the cognomen of an aristocratic 

 relative as "black marten." Just remember there is no such thing 

 as " black marten," any more than there is such a fur as "black sable." 

 Sables and martens alike have a ground pelage of exceedingly dark 

 browns and golds. The skunk's pelage is black. 



There was a day when you could buy the best Northern mink — 

 deep over-hair, fine golden brown under-hair — at 90^ each round 

 Banff, Canada, when the Stoney Indians brought their hunt from 

 Kootenay. The same skins to-day sell high as $19 to $30; and 

 the muskrat, which is tougher, better-wearing pelt, can be bought 

 from #4 to $5 ; so why grudge the little muskrat dyed to imitate 

 mink ? No grudge at all, except that a false name is a cheat and 

 ultimately reacts to hurt the value of the true fur. The muskrat 

 is square in shape. The mink is long and snaky in shape ; and their 

 shapes are really very good indexes to their characters ; so better 

 give each its true name and character. 



