296 THE FUR TRADE OF AMERICA 



at the top of his voice that the deil was after him for a' the sins 

 that iver he had committed since he was born. 



Ill 



Wenusk the Badger 



Badger, too, is one of the furs taken by the trapper on idle days. 

 East of St. Paul and Winnipeg, the fur was formerly unknown, or 

 if known, so badly prepared that it is scarcely recognizable for 

 badger. This is probably owing to differences in climate. Badger 

 in its perfect state is a long soft fur, resembling wood marten, with 

 deep over hairs almost the length of one's hand and as dark as 

 marten, with under hairs as thick and soft and yielding as swan's- 

 down, shading in color from fawn to grayish white. East of the 

 Mississippi, there is too much damp in the atmosphere for such a 

 long soft fur. Consequently specimens of badger seen in the East 

 must either be sheared of the long over hairs or left to mat and 

 tangle on the first rainy day. In New York, Quebec, Montreal, 

 and Toronto — places where the finest furs should be on sale if 

 anywhere — I have again and again asked for badger, only to be 

 shown a dull, matted, short, fawnish fur not much superior to cheap 

 dyed furs. Only of late years has demand for badger grown in the 

 East. In the North-west the most common mist during the winter 

 is a frost mist that is more a snow than a rain, so there is little 

 injury to furs from moisture. Here the badger is prime, long, thick 

 and silky, almost as attractive as ermine if only it were enhanced 

 by as high a price. Whether badger will ever grow in favor like 

 muskrat or 'coon, and play an important part in the returns of 

 the fur exporters, is doubtful. The world takes its fashions from 

 European capitals ; and European capitals are too damp for badger 

 to be in fashion with them. Certainly, with the private dealers 

 of the North and West, badger is yearly becoming more important. 



Like the muskrat, badger is prime in the autumn. Wherever 

 the hunting-grounds of the animals are, there will the hunting- 



