The Princeton union., 1895-04-25
FROM RED TO PRICELESS BLACK

Sly Rewards Coat Covers Wide
Range Of Color and Cost.
Reynard the fox, represented by his
skln comes to us in four principal
varieties said the manager of a fur
store to writer for the New York Sun.
IN his red jacket he is the most COM
mon and least valued of all foxes, his
skin being worth SIS in it's natural tints.
1t is sometimes made into furs for wom-
ans wearing, but more often it is dyed.
Inc principal use for the red foxskin
is as the central figure in rugs and
lap robes, and sometimes sleigh and
carriage robes are made entirely from
these skins seWed together with the tail
flip dangling from each. Red foxskins
lind their way here from every part
OF the northern states and Canada.
Hunters and trappers bring them to
the fur trading stations and rural stores
and farmers boys the country over
trap red reynard and find fine winter
sport in running him with hounds,
which they follow up on foot with guns.
Here is the skin of another fox less COM
mon, but as widely distributed. the gray
or cross fox. 1t is believed to be cross
between the silver and the red fox
you see it combines the tints of the two
but its name probably comes from the
black cross so plainly marked on it's
back This skin is worth $40. In it's
natural color it makes up handsomely
into any kind Of furs we sell. An at
tractive form of boa and other gar
ments in dark tints is made by cutting
out and using the black part of the
skin of the cross fox. We do the same
thing, by the way, with that Of the
lynx. The arctic foXskins come to us
chiefly in two varieties, the white and
the blue, but the last includes also the
pied, the stone and the sooty fox. In
this tuffed specimen of the white fox
you will notice that the soles of the
feet are thickly coated with hair, from
which it gets it's scientific name Of
lagopus, or hairy foot. The white fox.
although a beautiful skin, is the least
valuable Of all the arctic varieties, for
it's fur. though dense, is not so fine as
that Of the others. It is worth $15 Com
pare it with this skin Of the blue fox,
with it's silky bluish-gray fur, worth
$50. The arctic fOxskins come from Ice
land, Siberia, Kamtchatka and North
America. A curious thing is told about
the arctic fox, that he initiates the cries
Of the birds on which he feeds, and so
entices them within his reach. Yet he
is not difficult to capture as compared
with other varieties He readily enters
trap, and, when at large, will suffer
the hunter to approach him within easy
shot. He burrows with his fellows in
groups, making villages similar to those
of the prairie dogs, and, like that ro-
dent he will pop his head out of the
hole to salute the passer-by with yelps
But in the way of foxskins there is
nothing here to compare with this mag
niicent specimen in beauty or cost"
and the manager took from glass case
and spread upon the counter a large
skin with soft, dense, jet black fur, to
which longer, white-tipped hairs i'm
parted the tint of silver gray. In places
the skin was almost pure black, no.
tably in a strip upon the back between
the shoulders. 1T is the silver gray
fox, and this skin is so nearly black
that it's value is almost $780, The skin
of this species is used in making every
kind Of expensive fur garments, from
tippet to a cloak, and it's value de-
pends on it's darkness Of tints. It is only
in Russia that the pure black fox is
| found, and there the value of his skin
is not to be estimated, as it is an at
! tribute to royalty"