The daily gazette., 1877-12-14
Something About Fur.
NATURE AND HABITS OF FUR
B Il IA RING ANIMALS
FACTS OF THE FUR
TRADE.

III speaking OF Une 1ur trade, says -
The first in point of value is the pine
marten, or Hudson's Bay sable, of which
about IN, 200 skins on an average are eX-
ported every year. The martens or sables
from this region are not considered so
valuable furs as the sables of Russia, al
though there. is no doubt that the vari-
cites are in reality one and the same spe-
cles, the difference in temperature, and
other local causes, readily accounting
Tor the better quality of the Russian fur.
In fact the difference between the two
is not always discernible, the lighter col
ored skins being usually dyed and sold
as Russian sable.
The winter fur is the most valuable,
and the Indian trappers say the first fall
OF rain, after the snow disappears, spoils
the marten. When caught the animal is
skinned like a rabbit, the peltry being
inverted as as it is removed, then drawn
over a fiat board, and dried in the sun.
The animals haunt the pine forests, es-
pecially where fallen or dead timber
abounds, and are mostly caaght in the
style of trap known as the dead-fall. A
good marten skin is worth in trade from
SIT to So, The best skins come from the
far north, being darker and finer furred
than others
The fisher is much like the pine mar
ten, but larger. just why he is called a
fisher cannot imagine, as he does not
catch fish, or go near the water except
when compelled to swim stream He
climbs readily, but Is trapped like the
marten. The tail is very long and bushy
and at one time large trade was carried
on in them, only the tails being worn by
the Polish jew merchants. About 49,
900 are annually exported from the terri
tory. The average trade price is from
$3.50 to So. The fisher in full winter coat
makes finer suit of turs than the sable.
The mink is vastly inferior to either
fisher or marten in the quality of fur, and
its habits are entirely different. 1t fire.
quents streams and water-courses, and
feeds upon fish, crabs, etc. The Indian
hunter catches it with steel trap, baited
generally with fish. The trade price is
about fifty cents skin. About $50, 900
skins are exported, the majority of
which ultimately go to the continent of
Europe.
The raccoon is widely scattered over
the territories of the company, about
520,00O skins being purchased and ex-
ported every year The raccoons are
steel traps. The fur Is not very valuable
being principally used in making car
riage-rugs and in lining inferior cloaks
and coats.
The most valuable fur traded by the
company-is that of the black and silver
foxes. There are three species of fox
found in the territory-the black OF cross
the silver and the red fox, The two
former are considered to be only varities
of the latter; as in any large collection of
skins every intermediate TINT of color
changing by regular gradations from the
red into the cross, and from the cross in
to the silver and the black, may be found
rendering it difficult even for the trader
to decide which of the varieties skins
really belongs to. The Indians also as
sert that cubs of the three varities are
constantly seen IN the same litter. The
silver and cross fox skins bring from SAC
to $50 each, the red fox is only worth
about five to eight shillings. About 50,-
900 red foxes, 4 800 cross, ], 900 silver ar
annually exported. The silver fox fu
is almost entirely sold to Chinese and
Russian dealers.
To illustrate the difference in the trade
in beaver now as compared with what
it was before the Introduction of silk in
the mapping of hats, / may mention that
in 1743 the company sold in England 26, :
750 skins. and more than 127 900 were ex-
ported and sold at Rochelle in France.
In 1873 Canada alone supplied 10000,
and in 1909 again 126, ,927 skins. About
10000 are now brought annually from
the company's territories, So much was
this fur in demand before the introduc-
little rodent in some districts is entirely
exterminated. The principal use of the
fur now is in the manufacture of bonnets
in France, and in making cloaks. The
long hair is pulled out, and the under fur
shaved down close and even by ma
chine; some of it is still felted into a
kind of cloth. The beaver is a very diff
ficult animal to trap, but is, nevertheless
rapidly disappearing from the great fur
preserves of the North
The muskrat is similar in many of its
habits to the beaver Indeed, some of the
species build their houses precisely as the
beaver does The hunters generally spear
them through the walls and roofs of their
houses. The annual destruction of these
little ANIMALS, though immense, many
hundreds of thousands being yearly ex-
ported, does not serve greatly to diminish
their numbers. Their fur Is of very little
value, beng used in the coarsest manufac-
lures. Large bundles of the tails of the
muskrats are constantly exposed for sale
in the baZaars of Constantinople as arti-
ces for perfuming clothing.
The lynx or wildcat is found in consider
able numbers throughout the territory
Its fur, however, though prettily marked,
is not of much value. Ofwolf skins there
are about $4,000 annually exported, and of
the land otter about II 900 skins are often
procured. The fur of the sea otter. though
the most valuable fur traded, is very diff
cult to obtain. The animal ranges along
the seacoast between California and Alas
ka, and appears to be u connecting link
between the true seal and the land otter
1t is generally caught in nets or speared by
the Indians in the sea. Nearly all the sea
otter fur goes to China, and good skin is
worth about 900
! The coarse fur of the wolverine or Ame-
rican glutton is used mostly in the manu-
facture of muffs and linlngs, and is of
comparatively little value. only a small
importation-about 200 skins yearly-is
made by tho company. Some years ago
the caprces of fashion introduced the fur
of the skunk into popular use, and for a
, few seasons the traffic in that odorous pei
try was enormous. Now, however, its use
is almost wholly abandoned, and only
! about l 900 skins are yearly collected. The
Indians generally shoot the skunk, and al
ways skin il under water.
TIE skin of the bareback, brown and
! grizzly-is always in demand, and is used
| for innumerable purposes. The number
of bears killed annually is not easily de-
termined, but, at a safe average, it may be
| estimated at 5000. The greater part are
| killed in winter, during their period of hi
bernation. An immense business is also
carried on in rabbit fur. Besides the hun
dreds of thousands of rabbit skins exnort-
ed by the company, there are sold annual
| ly in London about 1,300,e00 skins which
| are used in the fur trade. The natives of
the Territory manufacture large quantities
| of these skins into bed quilts, the pelts be-
| ing cut into strips and braided into thick
| hrnf Dc Irhi a nd