New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-06-23
RUSSIAN FUR ANIMALS
Annual Value About 100000
"A Heavy Toll on Nature.

4 correspondent Of The London Times"
writing from St Petersburg, tells Of RUS
sian furs and fur-bearing animals. lie
says.
The toll Of fur animals annually kiIlei
or trapped throughout the Russian Empire
averages 100000, OF which squirrels pro-
Ndes 100000. hare generally misnamed
rabbits 3600Do and marmots 1880 SABLE
and baummarten have sadly diminished. 4
few years ago as many as 10000 Of edSn
were collected The Irblt record OF 1910
showed a decline OF - per cent. The other
MustelidH and Weascls average. Kulnsky.
10000. eTmine, 300 90, mink, Z5,"U, otter.
500 wolverine 900. fitch Polecau. 5000.
red fox, 3u."r. cross FOX. 5000, blue fox.
1000; bears. 700, wolves, 1900; badges.
5000; musqCash. 2o.oo0 and lynx. 500
Nearly all the sable Is trapped hy sibe-
r!an natives or by Chinese or Coroau hunt
ers. one small district IN the Amur region
IS known 10 contain l72.rpO sable traps u
Is proposed 10 enact a three years close
season !oT Sat.e. but IN view Of the above
agures and Of the remoteness Of the dis
tricts where the animal is SUI 20 be found
there Is some doubt whether the law viii
be observed or can be enforced
Russia fauna Yields a very substantial
annual Increment exceeding 10000 TO
the revenue from furs must be added the
valuable trade IN lambskins. tho best Of
which come from Bokhara. Attempts made
10 raise valuable fur animals In captivity
in Siberia have Yielded fairly satisfactory
results. The rapid exhaustion OF the supply
OF sAbles and the rarer foxes. and the
enormous rise IN prices In recent years Will
no doubt lead TO a further development OF
fur farms The blue fox thriycs IN the
Commander Islands. practically IN a state
Of captivity. There IS talk Of creating a
vast natural preserve for sable and silver
fox on the borders OF Siberia and Mongolia.
Siberia enjoys monopoly OF all the
more valuable satles and OF tho humber
but useful Sqg!rrcl. yet these and most 4
Russia . other furs are cured and dressed
In London or Germany Since 1919 the ST.
berlan fur trade has been concentrated AZ
lrblt, small town beyond the Trails rot
far from Ekaterlnburg which owes It's I'M
portance exclusively 20 the annual fair
held from III" end II JauIary g. the he-
ginning OF March. BY far the greater yart
Of the annual take" Of Siberian flrs has
been brought thitner at the beginning OF
each year. About 80 per cent OF the sales
are transacted for the foreign markets
chiefly London and Leipzig The uusold
lots 90 afterwards TO NiEhnl NoVgurod
a'G Moscow. whore they also mostly reach
foreign myers
owing to the diminishing supplies OF
sable. prices ruled very high I'm 1911. Far
gnLzin sable was dealt In a. Slsj 20 Slq6
n piece. which IL ~ per cent higher than
IN 1909 Monaghan sable brought about
~6 20 apiece. tn" price ~ ermiu" varied
little IN demand Tie Eamtcnatka fox
sold Al 1910 and m" Ndloutsk variety a,
- 10 90 Is skin. MOnEOlian medium sold
at - g.. The Maurhuriau marmot was
prohibited, owing 20 the UlagIc AM the
infection carried by these animals Mon
gol!an was admitted after beinE disin(ect' d
and was sold at 70 10 81 cents skin; over
10 IN On skins gpl1