FURS AND THEIR WEARERS.

BY JAMES H. PARTRIDGE.

HE skins used for fancy furs and robes are mostly obtained from the carnivorous or flesh-eating animals; as the sable, marten, mink, ermine, seal, otter, bear, etc.: some are obtained from the rodents or gnawers; as the beaver, coypou, or nutria, muskrat, rabbit, etc. and a few are obtained from the ruminants, or those that chew the cud; as the bison, that supplies our buffalo-robes; and the paseng or wild-goat of Persia and the Caucasus, and the Assyrian or Siberian sheep, from whose young kids and lambs we obtain the much-used Astrakhan. We give illustrations of the principal fur-bearing animals, several of which are taken from Tenney's excellent "Manual of Zoology."

As furs are generally worn by those who consult taste rather than necessity, their use depends very much upon fashion and caprice. Hence their price varies much at different times, and is not always regulated by their intrinsic value. As it is natural to prefer articles that are rare and far-fetched, and as furs can be easily carried to any part of the world, most prefer foreign to domestic furs of the same quality. Thus we export much of our fox, marten, fisher, otter, beaver, and muskrat fur, while we import Astrakhan, Russian sable, ermine, Siberian squirrel, French rabbit, or cony, chinchilla, and nutria fur.

At the present time, much of the fur worn is colored. In some cases, the hair, fur, and skin, are all colored; as the Astrakhan: but in most cases the end of the hair or fur only is tinted, while the skin re

mains untouched. The object of the tinting appears to be, to make all parts of the fur on a skin of the same color; to make an inferior fur appear like a superior one of the same kind; or to make the fur of one animal pass for that of another; as, for instance, the marten for the sable. Dyed furs are generally not durable-soon fade, and ap

pear as if old and worn. Hair and fur frequently grow together on fur-bearing animals; and, if the fur alone be wanted, the hair, which is usually longer than the fur, must be plucked or otherwise removed. During the spring and summer the fur of many land animals fades, and is shed for the season; leaving nothing but hair remaining, or perhaps

fur inferior in color and fineness. In the autumn, a new coat of the animal's finest fur is grown, which has comparative freshness and brilliancy of color. Furs, taken in the best season in the higher latitudes,

are called prime; those taken out of season are, in common parlance, said to be stagy.

Other things being the same, the colder the climate the better the fur. Hence our best furs are generally obtained in the higher latitudes, or in cool mountain-regions, during the prevalence of snow and the severity of winter. Thus the hunter is exposed to much labor, fatigue, privation, and danger. They who, in the inhospitable clime of Siberia, hunt the sable, in the most inclement season of the year, undergo intense suffering and hardship.

Sables are three or four times as large as the common weasel, to which family they belong. They are usually taken between November and February, in snares, traps, or pitfalls, baited with flesh or fish. They are then of a beautiful black color, but are brownish in summer. The fur of the Russian sable, by its richness and elegance, maintains its preeminence. It may be distinguished from all other furs, by the hairs turning and lying with equal ease in either direction; which may be shown by blowing it. It is limited in quantity, only about 15,000 being caught yearly, and the price of the best is almost fabulous: a furrier suggests from $20 to $150 per skin. Fresh furs have what dealers call a bloomy appearance. Dyed sables generally lose their gloss, whether the lower hair has taken the dye or not; and the hairs are twisted or crisped. Some smoke the skins to blacken them, but the smell and crisped hairs betray the cheat. To detect dyeing or smoking, rub the fur with a moist linen cloth, which will then be blackened. The Chinese, however, dye the sables so that the color lasts, and the fur keeps its gloss; then, the fraud can be detected only by the crisped hairs.

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The fur of the pine marten is nearly equal to that of the sable. Its color is a lustrous brown, and it is frequently tinted so as to resemble the real sable; and efforts are said to have been sometimes made to palm it upon buyers as the genuine Russian. That which is obtained in America, some 200,000 skins annually, which is somewhat better than the European, is usually called, by dealers, Hudson Bay sable. It is an excellent and valuable fur, very full and soft, and, like the Russian sable, is much used for muffs, capes, collars, boas, and other kinds of fancy furs. The fur of the beech or stone marten is much inferior to that of the sable or pine marten. It is of a yellowish brown, and, though often colored to represent pine marten or sable, the practised eye can easily distinguish it from them. The best specimens of the fur are obtained in Europe, where it is much used; but in this country, at the present time, it is not used at all. The skins of the fisher or pennant's marten, whose fur is quite valuable, are also exported. Less than 10,000 are caught yearly.

The mink is constantly found in almost every part of North America, some 250,000 being taken annually; yet, contrary to the general rule, it has been a very fashionable fur here for several years, for muffs, collars, etc. The color of the finest is chestnut-brown, glossed with black. The lighter colored is of less value, but it is often dyed so as to deceive the ignorant or unobserving. Dealers sometimes call it American sable. We occasionally hear of attempts to tame the mink, and raise it on a large scale in a minkery or suitable place of confinement. The present high price of the fur presents a strong inducement, but I do not know that there is any prospect of success.

The ermine is abundant in the northern parts of Asia, Europe, and America, about 400,000 being taken yearly. It is much smaller than the sable. In summer it is of a yellowish brown, and is then called a stoat; and its fur is known among furriers by the name of roselet. In winter, at the north, it becomes a pure white, and extremely beautiful. Farther south, the change from brown to white is less perfect. The end of the tail remains black during the year. It was formerly very valuable, and was much used in England to line the official robes of judges and magistrates. It is still considered a choice fur. The color of the Canada lynx is light gray, waved with black. Its fur is long, fine, and very thick, and furnishes a most beautiful material for robes, ladies' sets, trimmings, etc. Some 50,000 skins are sent to market each year. The Siberian squirrel is a neat, lively, active little animal. Its fur in winter is short and silky, and of a pretty gray color. The skins are used quite extensively for making ladies' sets and children's furs; several millions being taken annually.

The seal is a quadruped which spends the larger portion of its time in the water, and whose shape very much resembles that of a fish. Its neck is short, its body is tapering from the shoulders, and its legs or flippers very much resemble fins. It can stay a long time under water without breathing, at which time it can close its nostrils and ears. The species are numerous, differ greatly in size, and are found in almost every part of the world, but abound mostly in the higher latitudes. They live upon fish and other aquatic animals, eat their food in the water, but in fine weather they prefer the ice, or the rocks and sand on shore, on which to sleep, to bask in the sun, or to play. The harp seal furnishes the Esquimaux and Greenlanders with food, clothing, light, covering for their boats, and other articles of convenience. The eyes of seals are dark and lustrous, their sense of hearing acute, and they delight in musical sounds. Their heads so much resemble the human form, and their movements are so graceful, that the ancient