1943 
September, Brown & YEAGER: 
producing areas. It is certain that a very 
large number of rodents are destroyed 
by these cats, and equally certain that 
thousands of song and game birds and 
rabbits are also destroyed. The fur, while 
salable for a few cents per pelt, is of prac- 
tically no importance in the trade. This 
circumstance further disqualifies the spe- 
cies as a worthy member of the fauna. 
The writers recommend strongly a 
material reduction of the free-ranging 
house cat population and suggest shooting 
and trapping by conservation officials, 
sportsmen and trappers as the best method 
of effecting such reduction. 
TOTAL YIELD AND VALUE 
The foregoing sections have given in 
some detail the yield and value of each 
SURVEY OF Fur RESOURCE 
491 
important Illinois fur animal during the 
two seasons covered by the survey. The 
discussion is continued in the following 
paragraphs, but with all species grouped 
and the state considered as a unit. For 
convenience and brevity, much of this in- 
formation is presented in tables. 
Any consideration of the yield and 
value of the total fur resource of Illinois 
should be prefaced by a discussion of fur 
prices. “he average prices of the seven 
most important Illinois raw furs, 1909 
through 1942, is shown in fig. 31. With 
the exception of those for minks, prices 
during the seasons of 1938-39 and 1939- 
40. were about equal to, or at least not far 
above, those prevailing during the worst 
years of the recent depression. Based on 
the opinions of hundreds of Illinois fur- 
takers, the fur catch has steadily declined 
14 
‘\ 
13 i : 
” f 
o ; ‘ 
{; 'e RED FOX ------------------ as 
a MIN Oa Sate 
ayn RACCOON : \ 
fa) SUGUINS Ss See 
> GRAY FOX —-—-—-— i 
10 ee WN i ' 
— MUSKRAT 
be OPOSSUM ——--——-- 
w ° : 
oO ' \ 
m8 fOxr ‘ 
_ /\ “ / 
ae a, / : ’ 
Ww 7 _ f H | 
7») ea ' / 
aad | ‘ j ' ! 
<x 6 ‘ j 
> ‘ MIN | 
- . / AG : ee \ | / 
g ee a | ey 
© ne | yee / \ ‘ i ee 
{ 4 i iN j \ 
‘ \ \ ' 
= me \ } / | 
aan | ral A : a: f 
f i, i \ US ge, J ‘ 
< ae Be a\ i. a opt aoe ‘Ke re e aS 
as 2 we EAS ae ua y, Wy Zomss VA skKUNK roe 
/ Se i, are ee paPeaes sie =< 
> cos aes \ aa cies \ ue 
Ses / \ ¢ MUs ; 
“ . \ i if | aa airs A ia ee SR a ‘ ee, 
{ fy, WIL; ae ee —— x SG 20 ee a a woe ye 
a, ey ow Orossy NW teen ry PN ge 
VA a a 2 i a Ss? eer ae 
RRL Ss ag ee ee Eww Seep ee _—- a 2+ —--- ——_.--. ___... 
Pe eS 2S 8 fen aS Ros a ah 8 Boe sn koe 8 oe Rk al ey 8 
MP a es ote ge eS eine oo 5 a hg ko) ee 8 88 
Ee se se eee ee sees S888 8 8 Bebo 8. 208 208 3s 
SS) E A S ONS 
Fig. 31—Average raw fur prices, Central States, for seven important species, 1909-10 
through 1941-42. Sources of data: 1909-35, St. Louis Globe-Democrat, as adapted from Bennitt 
& Nagel (1937) ; 1935-42, Fur-Fish-Game raw fur market averages for No. 1 medium pelts. 
