50C ZOOLOGY 



and dwelling places comfortable as well. As the art of weaving 

 was developed and the discovery and perfecting of textiles 

 derived from plants made headway, we became less dependent 

 on the animals. But even 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 furnish 

 articles of clothing and decoration. 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 ruminants 

 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 are known as furs. Most of 

 these, as the seals, the sable, mink, ermine, weasel, raccoon, 

 foxes, skunk, members of the cat family, and some others, be- 

 long to the carnivora. A few, as the squirrel, the hare, and the 

 beavers (now almost extinct) are from the rodents. 



One of the most marvelously delicate and beautiful of 

 our fabrics, silk, is a secretion sfc>un out by the larvae of the silk- 

 moth in making the cocoon in which it pupates, or changes to 

 the adult stage. It is killed by being put into hot water, and 

 then the silk thread is unwound. The silk industry is of much 

 importance in China, Japan, Italy, and France. 



503. Animals Used in Saving Human Labor. In the 



earlier stages of civilization this help consisted of aid in hunting 

 and capture of food-animals. The dog was probably one of 

 the first animals domesticated. Later others came to be used 

 for riding, for drawing loads in vehicles or otherwise, for plow- 

 ing the soil, and the like. The camel, the ox, the horse, and 

 the elephant rank among the most valuable in these respects. 

 In the earlier civilizations of the orient, the' camel has been of 

 the utmost value. His adjustment to the tropical and semi- 

 arid conditions is striking. The "ship of the desert" is an older 



