398 ELEMENTARY ZOOLOGY. 



Among the mammals many species have been eaten, 

 but the great division of ruminants and the swine fur- 

 nish the bulk of the meat food now used by the human 

 race. The horse is increasing in importance in this 

 respect. Among uncivilized people, before the domesti- 

 cation and improvement of the ox, the sheep, and the hog, 

 this division (ruminants) still furnished the chief wild 

 game animals. Beside meat they furnish milk, butter, 

 and cheese. In the far north the walrus, the bear, and 

 the reindeer take the place of these well-known forms. 



398. Animals as a Source of Clothing for Man. In 



the case of primitive man the skins and furs of animals 

 were the sole source of clothing and one of the means of 

 making tents and dwelling places comfortable as well. 

 As the art of weaving was developed and the discovery 

 and perfecting of textiles derived from plants made head- 

 way, we became less dependent on the animals. But 

 evren now, in one form or another, the skins and the fur, 

 hair, and wool of animals are among our choicest clothing 

 materials. The mammals are of course the main animal 

 source of clothing, but the warmth of feathers has long 

 been recognized, and the skins and feathers of birds are 

 used as articles of clothing by savage men and civilized 

 women. The important mammals supplying the kind 

 of hair suitable for clothing and for carpets and other 

 coarser fabrics are : the various species of sheep and goats, 

 the camels, the alpacas, and their relatives. Our leathers 

 are made from the skins of these and related animals, and 

 from some of the carnivora. Practically all the rumi- 

 nants produce valuable leathers. Horse hides are also 

 used for this purpose. The skins of many of the soft, 

 thick-haired animals are dressed with the hair on, and 



