ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN i 1 
THE CHINCHILLA OF SOUTH AMERICA 
From “The 
Animal Kingdom: Mammalia,” by permission »° 
D. Appleton & Co. 
American raw furs sold in New York and Mon- 
treal in 1920 and 1921. Does anyone believe 
that our fur-bearing animals can long survive 
even the reduced prices prevailing today? 
Tur EXTRAVAGANZA IN Fur 
GARMENTS 
I now come to a feature of the story of the 
fur trade that few persons will believe, because 
it is so wildly fantastic. It concerns the abso- 
lutely unbelievable prices of real fur garments 
that have been charged and paid, here and else- 
where, in the year of grace 1920. 
In the winter of 1919-20 an old friend in the 
fur business casually remarked to me: 
“Iam now busy making five hundred dollar 
fur coats for stenographers.”’ 
We laughed at the idea, but later on it struck 
me seriously. It became apparent that the wild 
orgy of high prices had not neglected the fur 
business. We will pass over the common items 
and show only a few samples of the high lights. 
First, we read of a Russian sable coat that 
sold for $10,000; and we gasped with astonish- 
ment. Close upon that came an extravaganza 
chinchilla wrap (see frontispiece) of which the 
head of a great fur house said: 
“That must have cost $50,000.” 
While we were reeling trom this stunning 
blow, he added the knockout thus: 
“Last year we made up a cloak of dark Rus- 
sian sables, from skins furnished us, which was 
worth, at the skins, 
$125,000.” 
While the tidal wave of high prices was re- 
ceding and furs were being “‘sacrificed at one- 
half their value,” a reputable New York fur 
manufacturer, for the first time dealing directly 
with consumers, advertised the following gar- 
ments, at 50 per cent discount, at the prices set 
opposite their names: 
market price of those 
Prices or Fur Garments In New 
1921 
“Repucep” 
York oN JaNuary 18, 
After 50 per cent reduction 
Coats and Wraps 
Hudson Seal (Muskrat)... $185 and $565 
Minko aye tics ee eee 1,500 mS 0 
INVOLG St eieeien sats ot eens eer 285 sf 500 
Sloane! “ooonovasossenoone 415 § 675 
Genuine Seal (Alaska).... 425 uw 735 
BEAVEEY wists celelcciste crepaomrers 435 ‘ 565 
Mii Skirat”<f.s sii sects te ioe 175 Y 825 
Marmot: Sacer ssisacieiyer 6 45 SE 85 
Neckpieces 
Natural Black ‘Hoxes; a) pain). 5-...0- 40.0.6 $750 
Silver’ Moxa eden sarees rcteveresstare etecstarerereiece ielare 275 
RiussianesSableseacheerseeeticeenicr ini eiscrics 150 
Now, I ask, with prices as they are, dis- 
counted 50 per cent, and with the trapping 
grounds of the world wide open to unlimited 
trappers of all nations, and no volume restric- 
tions whatever, what has the future in store for 
the fur-bearing animals of the world save quick 
and sure ANNIHILATION? 
Tue Deatru Rate Per Garment 
To all conservers of wild life, the death rate 
of fur-bearers per coat will be of at least mo- 
mentary interest. 
Will the human (and humane?) wearer of fur 
coats and wraps pause for a fleeting moment 
and consider the number of animals blotted out 
for each of the garments illustrated herein. 
The memoranda covering the number of skins 
and value of the fur garments reproduced in 
this Buttetin, with the sole exception of the 
frontispiece, were kindly furnished by Mr. 
Lorillard de Lancey, fur expert of the firm of 
C. G. Gunther’s Sons, New York City. 
The following figures have been supplied 
through the courtesy of Kohn & Baer, Inc., 
manufacturing furriers, New York. 
“The amount of skins required in the making 
of various garments naturally varies according 
to the size of the skins and the length, and the 
