50 FUR FACTS 



Ermine or White Weasel 



Ermine, the fur of royalty, is snow white. Some of the skins 

 have a yellow stain, but these are not as valuable as the clear pure 

 white skins. The Russian ermine is a little larger in size and a little 

 deeper in fur than the American ermine, and consequently a little 

 more valuable; otherwise there is no difference. Both the Russian 

 ermine and the American ermine have a small black tip at the end 

 of the tail. Because ermine has been connected with the robes of 

 royalty, there are some people who class ermine with the more val- 

 uable furs such as sable and silver fox, but it does not compare in 

 price with these furs. The ermine is a very small animal and it 

 takes a large number of them to make up a garment, but they are 

 less in price than mink and usually bring about the same price as 

 an average size muskrat. 



Polar Bear 



The Polar bear is also white, but is never used in the manufacture 

 of fur garments, being used solely for rugs, robes, etc. 



BLACK FUHS 



Skunk 



The skunk is coal black in color and is really the only natural coal 

 black fur that we have with the possible exception of black fox, 

 and most specimens of the silver black fox are sprinkled with white 

 hairs. The skunk pelt as it is taken from the animal is not really 

 all black. It is black and white; that is there is usually two white 

 spots or white stripes down the back of the skin that look as though 

 some one might have painted a white stripe on a black surface. The 

 black fur of the skunk is coal black and the white fur is snow white. 

 The hairs do not mix as in the case of the silver fox where the white 

 is sprinkled through the black. There is no black fur that has the 

 richness and lustre of the natural black skimk when it is made into 

 a fur garment. The top hairs are a rich lustrous black, and the under- 

 fur is a bluish black. The American skunk fur is prized very highly 

 in Europe where its beautiful black color and its wonderful wearing 

 qualities have been long known. In recent years it has become very 

 popular in America, and the word "skunk" no longer frightens a 

 woman from buying a skunk fur garment. They are dressed and 

 deodorized and make a beautiful fur that is a delight to furriers and 

 a joy to the wearer. 



Black Bear 



Some bears have a natural black color. The young yearling 

 black bear skins from Alaska and Canada are used in some cases for 



