ECONOMIC MAMMALOGY 



Prices given in the various reports are those at the regular fur mar- 

 kets, unless otherwise stated, and are much higher than the amounts the 

 trappers receive for the same furs. Thus in 1912 prime muskrat skins 

 in Canada were quoted at about $1.25, but the trappers received only 

 about 50 cents. 10 As this book goes to press during a time of great 

 commercial depression, fur prices are much lower than those of two 

 or three years ago. 



The following list of prices of some important furs at three different 

 periods is obtained from Laut: 11 



1875 



Beaver $ i.oo $ 



Ermine 50 



Fisher 5.00 



Silver fox 50.00 



Black fox 100.00 



Fur seal 10.00 



Lynx 3.00 



Marten 2.00 



Muskrat .10 to .12 



The prices of furs vary enormously with the locality from which 

 they are obtained, as the average quality of furs from different localities 

 is quite different, and in many cases the animals are specifically or sub- 

 specifically, sometimes generically distinct, though given the same ver- 

 nacular name. The colder climate of the North requires heavier fur 



10 Jones, Fur farming in Canada, p. 89, 1913. 



11 Laut, The fur trade of America, p. 5, 1921. 



