206 Britain's Heritage of Science 



parts of one of the buffalo's hides into the hands of a tanner, 

 and are informed, both by a very experienced leather- 

 dresser and bookbinder, that it seems to be as good a 

 material as the skin of the Russian buffalo for book- 

 binding. If these skins, therefore, can be procured in any 

 quantity, the importation may answer well to the Com- 

 pany, and no further preparations of the hides will be 

 necessary in Hudson's Bay, than to dry them properly 

 with the hair on, and to take care that the sea water does 

 'not injure them on the passage. It is supposed that each 

 skin brought in this way to England may be worth about 

 four shillings. We also beg leave to present to the Com- 

 pany, in the name of the Society, a pair of stockings made 

 here from the hair of one of the buffalo's hides, which 

 hung near the neck, as also a hat ; but it may be proper to 

 inform you, that the greatest part of the materials used 

 in the latter is rabbit's hair, as that of the buffalo cannot 

 be worked into a proper consistence for this purpose, 

 without a mixture of some other hair. As you have pre- 

 sented to the Society likewise a specimen of a wild swan, 

 we have put the skin into the hands of an importer, and 

 we . c hall, perhaps, surprise you when we inform you, that 

 if it had been in a state to be properly dressed, it would 

 have been worth at least a guinea and a half; so scarce 

 is this commodity at present, and so great is the demand 

 for powder-puffs, the best sort of which can only be made 

 from swansdown. We have stated, however, that the 

 skin sent from Hudson's Bay was absolutely spoilt by 

 not being properly prepared, though we are informed that 

 nothing further is necessary than the following simple 

 process. All the feathers must be pulled off as soon as 

 the swan is killed, leaving only the down on; after this 

 the skin must be cut off along the back, and stripped off 

 the body, then take all the fat away, and turning the 

 skin inside out, let it dry. As swan-skins, therefore, are 

 so valuable an article of commerce at present, and there 

 is a probability of procuring many of them from Hudson's 

 Bay, it may be worth while for the Company to purchase 

 one of them, for the more fully instructing their servants 

 in what state they should be sent over." 



