Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/781

 753 DRESS makes two caps, and a good skin costs from ^14 to ii. Hence the familiar busby is worth about ;^8, Bear fur is also used for the collars and linings of the Russian " shubes," or sledge- coats. Coachmen's capes are now out-of- date, but these used to be made from the common and coarser bearskins. The white Polar bear is found all over the Arctic regions, but the finest skins come from Greenland. And these retain their whiteness, because, after flaying, the natives drag them through the snow, which prevents the oil from turning them yellow. Some of these bears are 12 feet in length, but their young are no bigger than rabbits. Beavers were known to the ancients, and in the fourth century the fur of the beaver, or Pontic dog, as it was called, seems to have been in great demand. The beaver has a way of dis- appearing from coun- tries where it has once flourished. For in- stance, it used to be found in England, and is now extinct ; but Lord Bute has intro- duced beavers with a measure of success into the Isle of Rothe- say in Scotland. They are now only really at home in Russia, Poland, Siberia, and North America. The best come from Canada ; and it is worthy of note that the Dominion of Canada chose the beaver for its coat-of- arms, and that in old days beaver skins passed as currency in British North America. This rodent is allied to the squirrel, and has a flat tail about ten inches in length. It is about a foot in height, and ten inches in length. Beavers, like seals, have acute senses and a high order of inteUigence. They seem to be endowed with reasoning power rather than with instinct, and can adapt their actions to varying conditions. Beaver architecture, as well as human, has its history. Beavers Photo Rciitliiiger A becoming and artistic use of skunk on a beautiful wrap. Among the less costly furs mentioned in this article, skunk ranks high both for becoming effect and durability can fell trees and dam streams, and a beaver lodge is a marvellous construction Some of their dams arc said to be a thousand years old. Beaver fur is much lighter in weight than bear, but like bear has immense durability. Its price is rather high, and a long coat of the best beaver would cost from /40 to ;^8o. A large, long stole would be about £1^, and a big muff £16. But cheaper goods can be procured, and a small stole and mufi might cost;£io or /12. In old days beaver was much in demand for the making of hats, gloves, purses, and other articles.- Chaucer speaks of a beaver hat in 1386, and in the time of Queen Elizabeth these hats became common, and the fashion con- tinued for nearly three centuries. The beaver skins were usually dyed black, and formed the headgear of the upper classes in Great Britain. In fact, in 1638, an Act of Parliament prohibited the use of any other material for hat- making, and this con- tributed to the dimi- nution of the number of beavers in North America. An encyclo- pa?dia, which shall be nameless, says that " there is no longer such a thing as a genuine beaver hat." But this is a mistake, as white beaver hats are still worn by the servants of Lord Lonsdale and Sir Edwin Durning- Lawrence. Beaver fur has much in its favour, but it is flat and of a dull colour, and perhaps more useful than either smart or becoming. Bear and beaver are like nothing but themselves, and their fur need not fear imitatioH. ' "" Persian lamb is a fur proceed Jrom sheep found in Persia, and the best ^ins come from Bokhara. Persian sheep-<ire said to be the most ancient breed of sheep in the world, and this fur is far older than is usually imagined. Some miniver robes of the