January, 1922 
FOREST AND STREAM 
39 
was cheap for a skin in London and to- 
day the price is near £100. Before the 
war, the normal catch used to be 25,000 
annually, but just before the downfall 
of the Royal Governrnent of Russia, the 
annual catch of Russian sable had been 
so falling off that the Government was 
planning for a closed season for some 
years. Steel traps were forbidden. Un- 
prime sable furs were subject to confis- 
cation; and all sable exports had to be 
tabulated in customs returns, where they 
could be inspected. It used to be said 
that a trapper in Siberia who had a suc- 
cessful run of sable for a single year 
could afford to retire a rich nabob. 
There is on record the case of one 
man “coming out” with 3,000, whether 
caught by himself, traded from the 
Chuchees, or stolen — is not known; but 
on sale of bis yearly catch, he retired. 
*He had found his gold nugget in one 
season of three months. 
The head of the Russian sable is al- 
most a round ball. Including his tail, i8 
inches is long for his measurement. His 
long over-hairs are almost black. His 
nose is black, his ears gray. His chest 
and sides are deep chestnut brown. Un- 
der his throat he wears a fur cravat of 
golden yellow. Second grade Russian 
sable have white hairs among the long 
over blacks. A peculiar beauty of the 
long over-hairs is they turn equally in 
every direction and so never acquire that 
“catty licked” look common to kolinsky. 
They look like the hairs on a creature 
that is alive. The tips of the over-hairs 
are darkest, and the under fur is so 
thick it can hardly be blown open. The 
finest Russian sable, like the finest types 
of all rare furs, come from the wooded 
areas of pine, poplar and willow. Rus- 
sian sable from cedar forests is a 
lighter color; but that may be because 
cedar grows best in a slightly swampy 
soil, and though the sable is a weasel, 
like the mink, he does not frequent 
streams. He prefers the rocks and the 
trees. 
Sable are found as far south as China 
and as far west as the Ural Mountains, 
and thrive best in Siberia and Kam- 
chatka. Kamchatka used to pay its taxes 
to the imperial treasury in sable skins. 
Over 80 skins a winter was not an ab- 
normal catch for a good trapper. 
The Russian sable nests in rocky bur- 
rows and hollow trees with moss and 
leaves to line his house. The young are 
born in spring in litters of 3 to 5, so it 
ought not to be impossible to multiply 
the sable if he could be domesticated. 
His diet is rabbit, birds, eggs, berries, 
and — like all the weasels — fresh blood. 
He is a night hunter and such a heavy 
day sleeper that he can be taken out of 
his nest without alarming him. He 
hunts with almost the same antics as the 
domestic cat. 
Of late years, guns are never used on 
the sable, only snares and box traps that 
cannot injure the fur. The trapping sea- 
son is October and November. 
In the fur trade are 16 classifications 
of Russian sable, according to the dis- 
trict from which they come. For in- 
stance, Kamchatka sable have silver 
hairs, cedar sable, yellow hairs, and so 
on. 
FOLDING PUNCTURE-PROOF CANVAS BOATS 
I/ight, easy to handle, no leaks or repairs; check as baggage, carry 
by hand; safe for family; all sizes; non-sinkable; stronger than wood; 
used by U. S. and Foreign Governments. Awarded First Prize at 
Chicago and St. Louis World's Fairs. We fit our boats for Outboard 
Motors. Catalog. 
King Folding Canvas Boat Co., 428 Harrison St., Kalamazoo, Mich. 
not spend Spring, Sum- 
mer and Fall gathering 
butterflies, insects? I 
buy hundreds of kinds for collec- 
tions. Some worth $1 to $7 each. 
Simple outdoor work with my in- 
structions, pictures, price list. Get 
posted now. Send 25c (NOT 
STAMPS) for my Illustrated Prospectus. 
MR. SINCLAIR, Dealer in Insects 
Dept- 9 Ocean Park, Calif. 
Make 1922 Your 
Banner Outdoor Year 
=A UN10N= 
TRAILER CAMP 
will do It for you 
Write for Catalog 
Union Trailer Works 
320 Charles 
Boonville, New York 
YoffR Pipe ePAiril^ 
PTH 
1 make pipes of 6PWJX& 
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NEW YORK CITY Dept. T 
MAIL ORDERS PROMPTLY FILLED 
We Cater to the Particular Smoker 
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Most practical 
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Holds two comfort- 
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Rrrelly|€T!^ 
AVTq^^l 
BED^V 
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Weight — 14 lbs. Folds up — 4 ft. x 4 in. 
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FARRELLY’S OUTDOOR STORE 
122 Jefferson Ave. E, Detroit, Mich. 
NO SPORT 
LIKE SKIING 
Ski for fun, health 
and exhilaration. 
Enjoy winter’s 
greatest sport on 
a pair of swift- 
moving 
NORTHLAND SKIS 
Best for novice or 
expert. Scientifi- 
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wear and smooth run- 
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let on skiing free. Look 
for the trade-mark. 
NORTHLAND SKI MFC. CO. 
10 Merriam Park 
St. Paul, Minn. 
WANTED FOR CASH 
Old Numbers Forest and Stream, 
Bound or Unbound 
Files of Forest and Stream, old num- 
bers as above. Write me what you 
have and lowest price for them. Ad- 
dress: P. O. Box 3256, Boston, Mass. 
BECOME A 
HiHSCAPE 
iRGHIIlCT 
“^DlgnJfled. Exclusive Profession 
anot overrun with competitors. 
^Crowded with opportunity for 
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getting started and developing their businesses. Estab- 
lished 1916. Write for information; it will open your 
eyes. Do it today. 
American Landscape School, 13A Newark, New York 
Burlington Hotel 
WASHINGTON, D. C. 
380 ROOMS 
$2.50 to $4.00 European 
$5.00 to $7.00 American 
Out of business district, only five 
minutes walk to White House, 
Theatres and Stores. 
HOMELIKE CLEAN SAFE 
Indian Moccasins 
Both Lace or Slipper 
Made of Genaine Moose Hide 
Men’s Sizes, 6 to 11, at $5.00 
Ladies’ or Boys’ 
Sizes, 2 to 6, at $3.75 
Sent prepaid on 
receipt of price. 
Money refunded if 
not satisfactory. 
We make the finest 
Shirts in America. Carry in stock the larg- 
est assortment of Snow Shoes in the country. 
Also hand-made Genuine Buckskin and Horse- 
hide Gloves and Mittens. Our Wisconsin 
Cruising Shoes have no superior as a hunting 
shoe. Send for Free Catalog to-day. 
Hunting 
Metz & Schloerby oshi<^^."wfsI 
Saves time— clears your desk. Sorts, 
classifies and distributes your cor- 
respondence, papers, memos, etc. 
Occupies much less space than wire 
baskets. No more shuffling through 
piles of papers many times dally. 
A Steel Sectional Device 
Each compartment a separate sec- 
tion. Any number of compartments 
for flat or vertical filing can be 
added as reejuired. Width of each 
compartment Is adjustable, one to 
ten inches. Indexed front and back. 
Green, oak or mahogany finish. 
In Writing to Advertisers mention Forest and Stream. It will identify you. 
