Evening star., 1894-01-06
S KINS OF BEASTS
Many Sorts of Animals Which Furnish the
Market With Furs.


white has always been considered q
mark OF distinction among beasts" said q
zoologist to a writer for The Star. You
will find mention of that fact In the Bible.
fifth chapter Of Judges. The Indians OF
this country used 70 regard a white buffalo
hide as OF exceptional value, and for one
such they would give several horses. Now
adays the aborigines of Alaska set such
store by white marten skin that they
Will pay five fox skins for It. The rever-
enee with which white elephants are re-
garded In Siam Is well known. In Africa
King Cetewayo, who was subdued by the
British. kept a herd Of royal white cattle.
They were said TO be very beautiful The
xeou. or sacred OK of India. is white. Blue,
by the way, Is most rare In mammals. the
only species in which that color is found
being the blue-faced mandrin. The so-caIl-
ed blue fox is rather a deep drab.
TT is a curious fact that many villa ami
mails increase with the settlement of a
country, feeding In the cultivated fields
ana thus procuring food more readily than
wnen the land was VI reclaimed An exam
pie OF this Is afforded by the rabbit which
mas increased so er ormously I'm some parts
OF the world-notably In Australia and New
Zealand. into which IL was imported. In
lssl no less than Sl9S bales of rabbit
skins from New Zealand and Australia
wer0 offered for sale In London. Vast num-
oers are killed for the use of meat pre-
serving companies. which put them up I'm
cans. In this shape they are sold In great
euanuues for ships stores. being a very
cheap sort of meat The fur is chiefly utii
lzeo Tor making soft felt hats For this
purpose the hair is cut on by machinery
sha ana passed through a blower, which
II accumulates Il adheres topether "a
forms sort of cloth.
The Greatest Fur Market.
''The greatest fur market OF the wor,a q.
London, where auctions are held periodi-
cally. These sales, at which pelts on a
thousand kinds are disposed of I'm vast
quantities. are attended by merchants from
everywhere They are conducted In silence
save for the voice of the auctioneer, bids
being made by nodding the head. Else
where In Europe various fairs furnish
facilities for trading in furs The chief
medium through which that sort of busi-
ness is transacted in Germany is the Leip-
SIC fairs' where skins of cats. squirrels and
Persian lambs are dealt I'm to a large ex-
tent There are similar markets for furs
al frankfurt-on-the-Oder and at several
towns In Siberia. The fair of Kistka, on
the border of China, is the depot from
which Chinese traders in pelts make their
purchases. particularly OF ernine.
Fashion Fixes Prices.
The prices for skins of all sorts depend
much on fashion. and hence are apt to
fiuctuate considerably from year to year.
fine lion skin with a black name is
worth $40; but the hide from q menagerie
specimen Of the royal beast. being never
SO handsome. will hardly bring more than
S125. Tiger skins cost much less than lion
skins. but the hide of a white tiger. which
is an albino and extremely rare. will fetch
a small fortune. Tiger claws are mounted
for pins by jewelers.. They are worth 81
is a wooliy tiger Of Mongolia which has a
fur of great richness. The length and
thickness Of the hair is due to the fact that
the animal lives in cold region.
Domestic Cats.
Domestic cats contribute largely TO the
supplies of the fur markets of the world.
OF late they have been turned to CONNER
cial account In another shape. many tons
Of them I'm the form of mummies as en-
balmed by the ancient Egyptians. being
carried to England and sold at a high price
for manure. The substance known i'm trade
IS 'civet is obtained from the so-called
'civet cat II is of a yellow color and has
the consistency of honey. Its smell re-
sembles that of musk. When undiluted the
odor Is 50 powerful as to be offensive, but,
when properly mixed with other substances.
1t becomes agreeably aromatic and deli
cate. 1t Is utilized chiefly for mingling
with and improving the bouquet OF less
costly scents. Civet cats are SOMETHING'S
Kept in wicker cages for the purpose of
collecting this secretion. IL is said The
latter is used by women in the north OF
Africa for powdering their necks. II n
exported from Alden in horns
Russian Wolves.
evolves furnish many skins 70 the fur
market. In Russia about 10000 OF them
are killed annually. a reward OF 10 roubles
a head being offered for them. During 1889
$1,000 of them were slain in the province
Of Wologda alone. the number OF persons
killed by wolves in the same province that
year being 203. The Eskimo of the Artio
practice an ingenious method of slaughter
ing wolves. planting a stake In the ice with
blade of flint fastened to the upper end.
About the flint blade they wrap a piece of
blubber, which freezes hard Presently
along come some wolves and lick at the
blubber until the edges of the flint cut their
tongues. Tasting their own blood. they be-
come frantic and attack each other, the
nght continuing until the whole pack lies
died. Next day the artful hunter comes
along ard skins them. That is one reason
Why "ohSAiu fu6S dfc ~ Cutdp To-Day.
From Chinese Dogs.
Chinese dogs. belonging to q peculiar
breed native to that country. supply much
material for robes. q good one requiring
eight skins. They are exported by way OF
Shanghai to London and New York. In
color they are black. white. fawn and mot
tied. About 1900 Of the hides are sold in
England annually. In Manchooria ana
eastern Mongolia are thousands of dog
farms, which rear all the way from q score
to hundreds Of these canine beasts for mar
ket every year. The skins take a brilliant
black dye. and make excellent sleigh robes
They are used to a considerable extent for
making mems coats In Canada The skins
Of Siberian dogs are likewise utilized as fur
But the Siberian animal which yields for
Its size the most costly of all furs 10 the
sable. 1t is only about nine inches long
inclading the tail, and In order TO trap q
single specimen the hunter must often en-
dure many a hard day of exposure and toll.
From 1900 to Is, 900 sabies are caught ans
nually. many Of the pelts being employed n
China for the robes Of mandarins.
The Marten.
Another small and valuable fur-bearfns
beast 10 the marten of Canada and Alaska.
For centuries the trapper has sought to oap-
ture It in the forests, its precious skin 60