42 



FURS 



Badger (Taxidea americana). The fine-haired 

 kind, used for fur purposes, comes from North 

 America value, 6d. to 22s. ; whilst the coarse bristly- 

 haired skins (Meles taxus), utilised for brushes, are 

 imported from Russia, Bosnia, and Bulgaria ; 

 value, 2s. to 2s. 6d. 



Black Bear ( Ursus americanus) yields the well- 

 known fur which is seen on the headgear of the 

 Guards ; also much esteemed as a general fur, as 

 it is long, black, glossy, and thick. About 14,000 

 skins are imported annually from Canada, Alaska, 

 and part of the United States, values ranging from 

 2s. for very common to as much as 14 for best. 

 The Brown or Isabella Bear is a variety of the 

 above, the value considerably higher, and quantity 

 imported much less. The Russian Bear (Ursus 

 arctos), the Grizzly Bear ( U. horribilis) from 

 North America, and the white Polar Bear ( U. 

 maritimus) from the Arctic regions likewise 

 possess skins of considerable value. 



Beaver (Castor canadensis) has a rich brown fur, 

 but is more generally known in its ' plucked ' or 

 ' unhaired ' state ( with the long hairs removed ) ; 

 the most valuable are quite black in colour ; the 

 fur has besides a good appearance when dyed. In 

 former times beaver fur was used in the manu- 

 facture of hats, but is now almost superseded by 

 silk. Exported from North America in quantities 

 of about 150,000 skins annually. Value, from 6s. 

 to 60s. , according to quality. 



Chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera). 'Real' chin- 

 chilla is the finest and most delicate of all furs, 

 extremely soft to tne touch, and the colour bluish- 

 gray ; the best come from Peru, a good skin being 

 worth 40s. ' Bastard ' chinchillas are less valuable, 

 and only worth from 6d. to 2s. apiece. 



Ermine (Mustela ermineus}. Colour of fur white 

 (in its winter coat), with the exception of the tip 

 of the tail, which is black. The animal is widely 

 distributed ; the chief supplies from Siberia. The 

 fur is no longer restricted to royalty as in olden 

 times. Value, about Is. Miniver is ermine fur 

 with black spots of lamb-skin sewn in. 



Fisher or Pekan (Martes pennanti). A North 

 American fur ; value, 13s. to 70s. Used almost 

 exclusively by the Russians. 



Fitch or Polecat (Mustela putorius), from Ger- 

 many, Holland, and Denmark. Used in England 

 for civic robes. Value, 2s. to 5s. 



Blue Fox ( Vulpes lagopus). Colour, a more or 

 'less brownish-blue, or deep slate at its best. About 

 3000 skins are imported annually from North 

 America. Value, 45s. to 200s. 



Cross Fox ( Can-is fulvus ). Similar to the silver 

 fox, but redder in hue, and there is generally a 

 darker shade of colour across the shoulders, forming 

 a sort of cross, whence the name is derived. This 

 fur too is mostly worn in Russia. Yearly collec- 

 tion about 7000; prices, from 9s. to Ills. 



Gray Fox (C. virginianus), Kitt Fox (C. velox). 

 Both of a grayish colour, and from North 

 America, the former from the United States ; 

 value, lid. to 4s. 9d., and importation 30,000. 

 Value of the kitt fox about 2s. 



Red Fox (C. fulvus). General hue, of a sandy 

 red, although a few from Minnesota are quite light 

 in coiour, almost white, others again from Kam- 

 chatka are of a brilliant red. Chiefly worn as a 

 fur in Turkey and eastern countries of Europe ; 

 about 60,000 to 80,000 skins are collected annually 

 in North America and Kamchatka ; prices range 

 from 3s. to 30s. Some 100,000 of a similar but less 

 valuable variety are caught in Europe. 



Silver Fox ( C. fulvus), the rarest of the three 

 varieties of the American fox (in some districts 

 red, cross, and silver foxes are found in the 

 same litter), is principally obtained from Alaska, 

 Columbia, and the Hudson Bay Territory. The 



colour is silvery black, occasionally brownish, the 

 tip of the tail always white ; a perfectly black skin 

 (sometimes termed Black Fox) will fetch up to 

 170, a silvery one from 1 1 to 20. The majority 

 are bought by Russia, the annual importation into 

 London being only about 2000 skins. 



White Fox ( Vulpes lagopus) is in natural his- 

 tory the same animal as the Blue Fox, and like- 

 wise an expensive fur ; a pure white is its finest 

 colour ; the discoloured are used for dyeing black, 

 brown, silvery black, and slate blue, the last two 

 in imitation of silver and blue-fox fur. Value, 

 undyed, 4s. to 34s. Quantity annually imported, 

 6000 to 17,000. 



Hare (Lepus europceus). The ordinary gray are 

 from all parts of Europe and largely used for felting 

 purposes ; in high latitudes the fur becomes a pure 

 white in winter-time, and a large quantity of this 

 sort is exported from Russia, some of which are 

 dyed to imitate other more valuable furs. 



Koala or Australian Bear (Phascolarctus cine- 

 reus), a common woolly fur, used for rugs, &c. 



Kolinsky ( Mustela sibiricus ), a species of marten 

 from Siberia, the tails of which are very valuable 

 for artists' brushes (known as red sable). The 

 colour of the fur is light yellow. 



Lambs ( Ovis aries). Persian lamb, naturally 

 black, but dyed the same colour to hide the white 

 leather underneath, is worn by ladies and on 

 gentlemen's coat collars, and often wrongly termed 

 Astrakhan, which is a greatly inferior sort of 

 lamb, chiefly worn in Canada, worth only from Is. 

 to 2s. 6d., whereas a. Persian lamb fetches from 7s. 

 to 22s. when dyed. The collection of the latter is 

 about 200,000, and is imported from Persia ; the 

 Astrakhan is from Astrakhan in Russia ; a similar 

 skin to the Persian lamb, though commoner, is 

 called Shiraz, from Shiraz in South Persia ; Bok- 

 harens come from Bokhara, Ukrainer lambs from 

 the Ukraine district, and gray Crimrners from the 

 Crimea. Large numbers of white lambs from 

 western Europe and Buenos Ayres are used for 

 glove and boot linings ; the white Iceland lamb 

 as a children's fur. 



Leopards (Felis pardus) are imported from 

 Africa and India for rugs, &c. (value, 10s. to 35s. ); 

 tigers too from India (a good skin worth about 

 4 ) ; more valuable and thicker furred varieties of 

 both animals are found in China, values about 7 

 to 12 and 10 to 60 respectively. 



Lynx (F. canadensis). The fur is of a light- 

 brown colour, with a light silvery top on the back, 

 that on the under part, long, soft, and spotted ; 

 about 30,000 to 80,000 are imported yearly from the 

 Dominion of Canada, California, and Alaska. 

 Both the annual importation and market price 

 fluctuate considerably. Value, from 10s. to 34s. 



Marten (Martes americanus). A good and old- 

 fashioned fur, now slowly recovering its value. The 

 general colour is a rich brown, some skins nearly 

 black, others again quite pale; the fur is light and 

 soft, and generally considered one of the best for 

 wear, appearance, price, and durability ; the tails 

 are bushy and much used for muffs, &c., a few 

 utilised for fine artists' brushes. About 100,000 

 are trapped in North America, the finest in 

 Labrador, East Maine, &c. Prices vary from 6s. 

 to 70s. for very choice ; an average price is about 

 20s. to 30s. Large quantities of Stone Martens 

 (Mustela foina) and Baum or Pine Martens (M. 

 Martes} are collected in Europe. 



Mink (Mustela Vison), a water animal inhabiting 

 Canada, the United States, and Alaska ; its fur is 

 brown and short, though quite dark in colour and 

 fine in some districts, such as Labrador, Nova 

 Scotia, &c., but light brown and coarse in others. 

 Annual importation, about 300,000 to 400,000; 

 value, from Is. to 26s. for very prime. 



