the processes and methods employed in dressing, 

 dyeing and improving the skins; and the rules by 

 which the experts determine their values. 



Considerable time has been devoted to the prepara- 

 tion of a map showing where the finest specimens of 

 the North American mammals are obtained, and to 

 the compilation of a Lexicon giving the English, 

 French, German and Spanish names of the different 

 animals, and the trade designations applied to the 

 furs made from the various pelts. 



Fanciful exaggerations have been carefully avoid- 

 ed; but the facts presented regarding the intelli- 

 gence and sagacity of some of the species add to 

 the interest of the book. 



While it was impossible to tell the whole story in 

 the first paragraph, it has been told in as few words 

 as possible, so that this work is in reality a text 

 book, where the important facts about the fur-bear- 

 ing animals and their products are^ so arranged 

 that the reader can readily find the data that could 

 be obtained elsewhere only by long and patient re- 

 search through the works of many writers. Those 

 who may desire more detailed information are re- 

 ferred to the following authorities which have been 

 consulted, and in some cases freely quoted, by the 

 author of this volume. 



Baron Cuvier 's "Animal Kingdom;" Richard Ly- 

 decker's "Royal Natural History;" John Sterling Kings- 

 ley's "Riverside Natural History;" Henry Fan-field Os- 

 borne's "Age of Mammals;" Henry Poland's "Fur Bear- 

 ing Animals;" Captain Hiram Martin Chittenden's "Fur 

 Traders of the Far West;" Washington Irving's "As- 

 toria;" Sir Alexander McKenzie's "Voyages From Mon- 

 treal;" George Bryce's "History of The Hudson's Bay 

 Company;" Alexander Beggs' "History of the North 

 West;" P. L. Simmonds' "Animal Products;" the me- 

 moirs of Gabriel Franchere, Alexander Ross and F. A. 

 Laroche; the reports of the investigations made by D. G. 

 Elliott, Dr. E. Coues and Wilfred IT. Osgood; the 

 writings of Linnaeus, Buffron, Lamarck, Bell, Darwin, 



