The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-02-24
SOME FUR-BEARERs
 OF SOUTH AMERICA.


 Next to the pelt of the silver fox of L1abrador and ermines the snowy fur whose cost1iness has made it the badge Of royalty and riches the chin chiIla of South America carries on it's back about the most expensive mar tire. 8 zA7
 High up on the eastern slope Of the Andes in sections Of Peru, Bolivia, and LChile the chinchilla, has it's habitat. Living at an elevation of from 5000 to 12, 600 feet above the level of the its thick warm coat and also largely for the exorbitant price it brings It Is hard to get and not plentiful therefore it is wanted
 sTt is a hopping rodent mammal = writes W. A. Reid in the Monthly Bull letin of the Pan Amerfean Union somewhat resembling our common squirrel, and when standing upon it's hind legs as it does when eating, the siIni' arity is even more noticeable. Or dinari1y the body Of the animal is about ten inches in length, exclusive of the tall; it Is covered with a grey fur, soft and silky, which on &he sides is about an inch long. The ani- n1als blrrow in the ground and live together in villages like our prairie dogs The natives of the Andean re- gions hunt them with trained dogs or with grisons- What is a grfson? The South American cousin to our weasel and just about as cunning, and he easily slips into the rocky crevices where the chinchf11a seeks to hide and captures it. Since the fur of the chinchflda was first introduced into Burope during tine earlier part of the nineteenth century, the price of the skins has scared until a ady's huff and collar of only medium size made of this material commands a, price of $500 or more.
 Another fur producer found in the temperate portions of South America is the nutria, a little rodent re<sern- bling the ordinary beaver of the Unit ed States It Is usually found along fresh water courses. and it's hind feet are webbed, indicating it's aquatic habits. It's fur is used for making our finest felt hats as well as for Ia- dies muffs. collars, capes. etc. The size of the dressed skins is about 20 by 12 inches and the price varies from 50 cents to $1.50 leach. according to quality.
 The viscacha. is another South Amer ican rodent somewhat resembling our rabbit but with a longer tail and shorter ears and legs. These animals are from 18 Inches to two feet long and are hunted for their fur which is merging into a yellowish white un- derneath, They are found on the pampas of Argentina even down to lower Patagonia They live in vil- lages Of mounds into which they bur row like rabbits, and have g queer habit of dragging bones, stones, thistle stalks, and all kinds of hard sub stances apparently of no use to them, to their homes and billing these up in heaps near the entrances of their bur rows. Why all this useless labor no naturalist has as yet been able to discover
 vicuna, one of the three representa- tfves of the camel family to be found in South America and which looks something like a long-necked sheep, is probably the most valuable. It is found in the highlands of Peru, Bo- livia and Chile, and has a soft furry coat of golden brown shading into darker hues which is highly prized by travellers. Almost every tourist touch ing the west coast of South America brings home one of these beautiful rugs as a souvenir.
 Seals are found on the Lobos Isla uds near the mouth of the Rio de Ia Plata and on the islands about Cape Horn and in the Strait of Magellan. They are not so plentiful nor is their fur as valuable as those inhabiting the icy seas of the Northern Henisph ere but many skins from these sections find their way into the markets of the world.