260 EODENTIA. 



Minnesota and Eed Eiver Settlements, and extends from 

 New York to California, Wisconsin, Virginia, Pennsyl- 

 vania, and Delaware. 



The skins from Labrador and Nova Scotia are a very 

 fine colour. In Alaska and the Mackenzie Eiver district, 

 the Musk-rat is of small size, owing no doubt to the 

 scarcity of vegetarian food, but the fur is extremely fine 

 and of a light silvery colour ; the belly is almost white. 

 Skins from these districts were much sought after when 

 Beaver hats were in fashion. 



The black variety, although sometimes found in the 

 Western States and in Canada Proper, exists only in 

 considerable quantities in the more Southern States, 

 such as New Jersey and Delaware. In this variety the 

 long hair of the back is of a beautiful black ; the under 

 fur is black, with a bluish ground ; the fur on the belly 

 is short and of a speckled whitish-grey colour, with a 

 black stripe in the centre ; the cheeks are dark and 

 speckled. These skins are chiefly used in Eussia for 

 coat-linings, but a few are sometimes used in this 

 country and in France for cloaks, etc., and with the top 

 hairs removed for gloves. No black Musk-rats are found 

 in the extreme north, they therefore furnish an instance 

 of greater depth of colour being found more south. The 

 present price (1891) is from Is. 3d. to Is. lid. for No. 1 

 large skins ; in January, 1875, 3s. lid. was paid for this 

 sort. White Musquash are uncommon, and fawn and 

 mottled are sometimes met with, as well as skins with 

 silvery hairs, but these are very rare. 



The skins are stretched in various ways ; those from 

 Alaska and Columbia are turned inside out, and are 

 nearly closed, looking like little pieces of dried flesh or 

 skin. Others are cut quite open or flat, and are then of 

 less value. Others, again, are only cut at the head, and 



