WEASEL FAMILY 



(Mustelidce) 



THE weasel family includes the mink, marten, otter, weasel, fisher, 

 wolverene, sea-otter, skunk and badger, all of which are very 

 valuable for their fur. The Russian sable, sea-otter, Hudson Bay 

 sable, ermine, black marten, fisher, Alaska sable, otter and mink furs 

 are derived from the animals mentioned above and are among the most 

 expensive skins. Russian sable skins are frequently sold at S500.00 or 

 more. As some sable skins are only about eight inches long, exclu- 

 sive of the five-inch tail, they cost more than silver fox, area for area. 

 The pelt of the wild sea-otter brings a higher price, on the average, 

 than the wild silver fox. The Hudson Bay, or American marten, 

 sometimes has almost as beautiful fur as the poorer Russian sable, but 

 the finest pelts sell for less than $100.00. The Canadian weasel, or ermine, 

 is usually inferior to the Russian, often having a yellowish white or 

 gray colour. The most expensive mink pelts are those from the Lauren- 

 tian plateau and the Maritime Provinces. The price of fisher skins 

 has recently advanced greatly and prime skins sell for as much as S75.00 

 each. The price of skunk pelts has also advanced and black skins 

 from northern districts now bring from $8 to $12 for the finest specimens. 

 If the domestication of the marten, fisher, otter, mink and skunk, 

 or, in other words, the family of the mustelidce, were accomplished, 

 there is no doubt that a market for more than $10,000,000 worth 

 of raw fur annually could be found. The annual production of all 

 American pelts is between $25,000,000 and $50,000,000, and 

 the above-mentioned family, with the Russian sable included, would 

 supply a large proportion of the demand for high-priced furs — ^probably 

 well over one half. It is worth noting in this connection that the 

 recently established fur-farming experiment stations in the United 

 States will experiment first with this family of animals. They will 

 probably keep the marten and the mink, these two being considered, by 

 experts, among the most desirable for domestication. 



MINK 

 (Putorius Vison) 



There are two well-known species which resemble each other closely, 

 the European mink or marsh otter of Europe (P. lutreola) and the 

 American mink (P. vison). The latter is found over a large portion 



