THE OTHER GREAT STAPLE FURS 143 



out any count of the enormous consumption of mole skins for gen- 

 tlemen's waistcoats and vests, which was the original use to which 

 mole skins were put in European trade. His fur has been compared 

 to plush, but it is more perishable and more velvety than any plush 

 ever worn. Moles used to sell at 1 to 2 pennies. In 1920 Ameri- 

 can sales, they brought 44^ for bundles and in Montreal 248,728 

 sold. In New York, they sold at 2^ to 39^ each and one string 

 of 3000 brought the high price. The moles sold in New York 

 were 1,211,692; in St. Louis 2,250,000; which proves what I 

 have already said about the inaccuracy of trade estimates of 

 the moles in demand. In London spring sales, 2,000,000 moles 

 were sold. 



The Squirrels 



r ~ In the class of fragile furs come the Squirrels, the grays used 

 undyed for evening wraps and coats, the light-striped yellows 

 and browns both dyed and undyed for linings, often the side and 

 belly furs of a darker pelt, the deep brown and almost brown blacks 

 from Austria dyed and undyed for linings for men's coats and for 

 cuffs and collars. The large, dark-furred squirrels have come in 

 the past from Austria and German sources. It was in the dye of 

 these that Germany excelled. The numbers of squirrels sold almost 

 beggar exaggeration. Remembering that the spring sales are only 

 one of three sales held in the great centres each year, here are the 

 figures: New York, 384,397; London, raw, dyed backs, dressed 

 skins, sacks and tails, 793,300; St. Louis, 1,200,000. Considering 

 the variations in quality, prices here mean little unless given 

 with the grade, but in New York prices ran from 5^ for common 

 and poor to #2.25 for best grades. Yet there were gray squirrels 

 that commanded $10 to #15. This would look like the end of the 

 squirrel as a fur bearer if it were not he has a family of 5 to 6 twice 

 a year. Laws of which an account is given in the Appendix to Part 

 I protect gray squirrel. Practically, there are many sections of 

 the country in which no laws protect the red squirrel, or the little 



