Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/543

 519 WOMAN'S DRESS Conducted by the Editress of " Fashions for All " In this important section of Every Woman's Encyclopedia every aspect of dress will be dealt with by practical and experienced writers. The history of dress from earliest times will be told, and practical and useful information will be given in ; Home Dressmaking How to Cut Patterns Home Tailoring Methods of Self-measure- Representative Fashions ment. Fancy Dress Colour Contrasts Alteration of Clothes, etc. Millinery Lessons in Hat Trimming How to Alake a Shape How to Curl Feathers Flowers, Hat-pins, Colours, etc. Boots and Shoes Choice How to Keep in Good Condition How to Soften Leather, etc. Furs Choice How to Preserve, etc. How to Detect Frauds Gloves Choice Cleaning, etc. Jewellery, etc. PRACTICAL ADVICE ON THE CHOICE OF FURS By The Hon. Mrs. FITZROY STEWART Continued from page 383, Part 3 No. 4. ERMINE The Royal and Judicial Fur— The Ermine of Commerce — Habits and Characteristics of the Animal— Its Decorative Effects — The History of Ermine as a Decoration to Regal and Official Dress — Its Use in Early Times Crmine is a Royal and judicial fur ; but, with us, sumptuary laws have long ceased to exist. It is one of the furs of heraldry, and is worn by the King and Queen, by judges, and on the State robes of peers and of certain high ofhcials. The Characteristics of the Animal The ermine of commerce is taken from a species of stoat, which wears a white dress during the winter season. It has a body about 10 inches long and i inches wide, and its tail is about 4 inches in length. It has the short legs and the slender body of the weasel — ^its poor relation. And, like others of its species, it is a small, restless, and — one must add — bloodthirsty animal. The ermine preys on birds, rabbits, and other small creatures, and, although useful in destroying rats and mice, is a sworn foe to the poultry -yard. It moves with great quickness, climbs trees well, swims easily, and makes its home among rocks, stones, and other rough sur- roundings. It wears a brown coat in summer, and changes to pure white in winter, with the exception of its nose, tail, and whiskers, which always remain black. In snowy regions the protective value of this white fur is obvious ; and that the change occurs in connection mth a lowered temperature seems certain, although the physiology of the process is not as yet understood. The creature breeds at the end of winter, and, like a cat, carries its young by the nape of the neck into a place of safety. How and Where it i5 Caugfht The ermine is distributed in the northern parts of Europe, Asia, and America, but has been found as far south as the Italian Alps and the Pyrenees. Its movements are rapid, and its capture is beset with difficulty. Moreover, it is shy and wary and hard to trap, since only a jet-black tail is visible as the little animal fhts across the expanse of snowfields. The trapper often makes his lure of twigs of wood, the smallest of steel traps being too heavy for the best specimens. A hunter will often put grease on his hunting-knife, and lay it down on the trails of the ermine. And when the* little white form appears the grease attracts it, and it licks the blade of the knife, only to find that its tiny tongue is frozen hard to the ice-cold steel, that the knife is too heavy to move,