Dkcember 1, 1896.] 



KNOWLEDGE 



273 



delicate of all furs, and is generally of a pearly French 

 grey tint, although white, and less commonly drab, varieties 

 occur. The animal is, however, but small, measuring 

 only about nme inches to the root of the rather long tail" 

 so that many pelts are required to make a garment of any 

 size. From live thousand to eighty thousand is stated to 

 be the number of skins annually reaching this country ; 

 and many more are used in South America. Tippets! 

 capes, and muffs of chinchilla fur are highly appreciated, 

 and nearly always in fashion. Viscacha fur. although 

 soft m texture, is not durable, and therefore unfit for the 

 purposes of the furrier. 



The only other rodents of importance in the fur trade 

 are the various species of hares and the rabbit. Of the 

 number of skins of the common hare {Lepm euiopcem) I 





Beindeer. One-fifteenth natural size 



that annually come into the market, it is impossible to 

 form any accurate estimate, although it is certain that it 

 must be enormous. The value per skin is, however, 

 trifling. More valuable are the pelts of the mountain hare 

 (L. timiilits) of Northern Europe, and of the nearly allied 

 Polar hare (/.. (urtu-its) of the northern regions of the 

 New World, in both of which, when the cold is sulliciently 

 intense, the fur turns white in winter. From Kussia 

 alone between two and five million pelts of the I'kiropean 

 species are imported, a large proportion of which are in 

 the white winter coat. In regard to these, Mr. Poland 

 writes that a large number " are used for fur purposes, both 

 natural white, in imitation of white fox, and dyed lynx 

 colour, brown, dark brown, black, and snowtlake. The 

 peculiar dye called snowflake is produced by passing a 



solution of was over the points of the fur, and then dying" 

 the under-fur a beautiful brown. The tips of the hairs thua 

 retain their natural white colour. The wax covering is 

 removed, the skins are cleaned, and the fur has then a 

 beautiful appearance somewhat like silver fox." Of the 

 brown American hare (L. americanus), which is a more 

 southern form than the Polar hare, nearly ninety thousand 

 skins were imported in 1S91. 



On account of its extreme cheapness, rabbit fur is one 

 of the most widely used for common purposes of all, 

 although it is by no means durable, and soon begins to 

 show signs of wear. The total annual collection from all 

 parts of the world must be something enormous, France 

 and Belgium accounting for about two millions, while the 

 Enghsh skins are stated to average thirty millions. With 



the exception of that of 

 the musquash andsquirrel, 

 the fur of the rabbit is 

 used more extensively 

 than that of any other 

 animal. When chpped 

 and dyed, it is used in 

 imitation of various other 

 furs of much higher value 

 — such as seal and beaver 

 — while some white skins 

 are dyed snowflake. 



Of mammals belonging 

 to other orders whose fur 

 is of any commercial im- 

 portance, space compels 

 our notice to be of the 

 briefest. The Insectivora 

 lay claim to only two 

 species that come within 

 this category, the first of 

 these being the common 

 mole. Although mole fur 

 is exceedingly soft and 

 beautiful, the small size 

 of the skin renders it 

 much less valuable than 

 would otherwise be the 

 case, and consequently 

 only a few thousand skins 

 are annually collected. 

 The other species is the 

 Russian desman (Mi/oijalr 

 moscluitd), an aquatic 

 animal, with a long trunk- 

 like muzzle and dark pur- 

 plish fur, which may be 

 compared in size to a 

 large water-vole. Between 

 six and twelve thousand skins is stated to be the annual 

 collection of this species. They are chiefly used as trim- 

 mings for mantles, and less commonly for glove-tops, but find 

 more favour in America than on this side of the .\tlantic. 

 Although many members of the hoofed, or ungulate, 

 order arc fur producers in the widest sense of the word, 

 their products are in several cases mainly employed in 

 the manufacture of textile fabrics, and accordingly do not 

 come within our province on the present occasion. Of 

 the species yielding a true fur, one of the most important 

 was the American bison, or, as it is incorrectly called, buffalo. 

 Although formerly the annual collection of " buflalo robes " 

 amounted to between one hundred and fifty thousand and 

 two hundred thousand, while as late as 1879 fifty thousand 

 were obtained in the United States, and nearly three 





