Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/248

 DRESS 226 of silver fox. The skins cost £10 each, and make good boas and muffs. A boa might cost £1^, a muff ;{20, and a long stole about The American Fox The American fox is red like its British relation. Its fur, however, is not used much in this country. The grey fox comes from Virginia and other southern states, and is never found north of Maine. The fur is not of much value, but makes up into rugs and footbags. The Chinese fox is of a pale yellow colour. The skins are cheap, but not attractive. The Fox: Its Habits, etc. Foxes are a group of animals that belong to the dog family. They average from two to four feet in length, and are characterised by their shght build, long, thick tails, short legs, and long ears. The pupil of the eye is el 1 i p t i c a 1 when contracted, and not circular, as in dogs, wolves, and jackals. They in- dulge in a wide range of nutri- ment. Their food includes animals of the size of fawns and lambs, mice, rats, birds, fruit, and vegetables. In habit foxes are noc- turnal and usually solitary. They are hard to trap, and seem equally skilled in running, jumping, crawling, and swimming, and have even been known to climb trees in search of birds' eggs and other provender. Their dens are often on the sides of hills, and consist of a central chamber, with several means of exit. Their mental qualities are of a high order. They are patient, prudent, resolute, and resourceful, have a strong memory, and a keen sense of locality. Also, they are to the last degree artful and cunning. To come unawares upon an' Arctic fox is said to be impossible. Even when in a sound sleep the creature will' open its eyes at the slightest sound which is made near it, although it pays no heed to sounds that come from a long distance;, and it can modulate its bark so as to give the idea that it is far away when at the moment it lies close to one's feet. ' - - -- The Fur Market, v ,., Fallacies exist on the subject of furs as. on most other mundane affairs. Many, of us imagine that the centre of the fur ttaicje IS at Nijni Novgorod, in Russia, and that each season the finest skins find their way from there to the shops of retail furrier's in ^t. Petersburg. But this is not the case. The world's prime market for furs is London. The sable and silver fox sold in bt. Petersburg, the sealskin and beaver sold Arctic fox in winter coat Photo by ir. S. Berrtdi.'e, F.Z.S. in Toronto, and the chinchilla on view at Lima have usually passed through the London market, and then made the journey back to Russia, Peru, and Canada. London, moreover, is the best place in which to buy furs ; the buying of furs in Norway, at Carlsbad, or at Monte Carlo is not so economical as some women seem to imagine. Again, the stock of furs held in London is much larger than elsewhere ; in London the retail furrier can match the finest skins that may be required by an exacting customer. The great London houses have a world- wide trade. They supply fur to the Courts of Europe, and have pro'ided most of the Coronation robes that have been worn during the last few generations. Even the black fox skins for the wondrous coat that belonged to the late Em- peror of Russia were supplied, and the coat itself made, by a London furrier, although the foxes had been trapped in the Tsar's own dominions. Few persons have any idea of the magnitude of the fur trade. The lists of furs sold at public auction in London showed that during one year the Hudson Bay Company sold 670 skins of silver, 3,165 of cross, and 4,898 of white foxes. These, however, are small quantities when compared with the vast store of furs imported by private enterprise from the United States, Canada, and other British provinces in North America. A list of the above states that in one year there came to our market 1,503 skins of silver fox, 4,458 of blue fox, 5,460 of cross fox, 47,725 of grey fox, and no fewer than 77' 705 of the white Arctic fox. As a rule, the nearer an animal lives to the Equator the more brilliant will be the .colour of its fur. Animals that live in wodds and forests give finer fur than those which live on open prairies. Sea air coarsens and thickens fur ; hence sables trapped in- land have finer coats than sables from Kamtchatka. Most furs can be copied with fair success, •Ixit «il-ver fox -stands almost alone in that •it -is above imitation. Its great price sets 'it apart, as no one would give ;^i50 or more for a single skin unless she were certain of- the genuine article. .White fox, however, can be easily copied, t'qr this purpose the skins of white hares are used, ancj the black fox fur of everyday life is made 'from the skins of white foxes or red foxes, dyed to the required colour. These, however, must not be termed frauds, as. they are confessed imitations. This series will be continued.