Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/782

 DRESS 754 fifteenth century were carefully examined, and they leave no doubt that the dark fur on thcni is Persian lamb and not ermine tails. The natural colour of the skin is rusty black, but it is dyed a dense black before use, and this is done either in Canada or Germany. The water of English rivers does not seem suitable for the purpose. Persian Lamb The wool of the full-grown sheep is coarse and dense, but, unhke its parent, the skin of the Persian lamb is very soft and curly in the extreme. And this curl is artificially preserved by at once wrapping the skin up in a covering to keep it from contact with the air. These skins are not sold in a raw state in England, but are taken once a year to the fair at Nijni Novgorod by the Tartar owners. They are then sold to Leipsic merchants, who are most skilful dyers and cleaners. Indeed, it can be said that Leipsic supplies the whole world with Persian lamb, which is often, but wrongly, known as astrachan. Persian lamb has high favour in England, and may be well called the fur of utility. It is most durable, and suits the needs of the woman who walks instead of drives, as it does not spoil with rain, and is by no means aggressive. It must not be reckoned cheap, as a good coat of Persian lamb would cost from ;^5o to ;^i2o. The skins cost from about £i los. to £'^, and upwards. The fur called caracul is a commoner and cheaper variety. It has no curl, and its hair is longer and more fluffy, but it is lighter than Persian lamb — a decided point in its favour. A caracul coat can be bought for £1^, and stoles and muffs in proportion. Broadtail — correctly known as breitz- schwanz — is one of the finest furs in the world and of a satin-like softness. The skin is thin and fine, and the fur has no curl, but a waved line on its surface, which reminds one of silk moire. But breitzschwanz has a gruesome history. It is the coat of the young, unborn lamb, and tender-hearted women often avoid this fur, and in any case its present price is almost prohibitive. The skins are tiny, and each skin is worth from £3 to £. Some years ago a woman had a coat and short skirt of broadtail fur, which was priced at ;^5oo, and at the present time such a get-up would cost perhaps ;^i,ooo. Moleskin Now to return to the cheaper varieties. Moleskin is. to my mind, one of the most charmmg furs in existence. It has delicate shades of colour, is soft and downy, and most becoming. In fact, it adds more to a woman s looks than do many of its costlier rivals. Also it is light in weight— to a delicate woman no small advantage. The mole IS perhaps too plentiful in Great Britain, but, oddly enough, is not found in Ireland, and not often in Scotland, except in the Isle of Mull. Scotch moles, however, supply the best moleskin. This fur has one fault. Like most dainty things, it is by no means durable. But the price is moderate. A long coat of the best moleskin would cost from 2.30 to £^0, a good stole might be £15, and a big muff can be secured for £^. Ermine is the only fur that goes well with moleskin. An ermine tie helps the effect, and an ermine' muff completes the costume. The mole lives near water. It has a plump body, with a velvet-like coat, and soft fur of a greyish brown colour. Its length is about six inches, and its tiny tail only half an inch long, and it owns stout limbs, and a pointed muzzle. It has no visible ears, and its eyes are so minute as to be easily over looked. The mole is a voraci- ous creature, has an unquenchable thirst, and what may be termed a " rage of hunger." It eats no vegetables, but preys on mice, small birds, and tiny animals. Its cleverly designed subterranean labyrinths, with their passages and galleries, are a familiar — for the farmer a too familiar — feature in our fields. Part of the mole's object in con- structing them is the pursuit of the earth- worms, on which he loves to prey. Mink Fur The mink is a species of marten that occurs in Canada and in most parts of North America, but the best skins come from York River in the Hudson Bay Territory. It is an amphibious creature, and feeds chiefly on fish, frogs, and mussels. Its body measures from 12 to 18 inches in length, exclusive of the tail, which is long and bushy. Its hair is fine and soft and of a chestnut brown colour, which varies from a pale shade to the dark hue of the finest sable. The skins most in demand are those that are almost black in colour. Mink skins run from £1 to £ apiece. They are of small size, and a coat of good mink would cost from ;^i8o to ;^250 according to length and qualit3^ A stole might be about £^6, and a big muff from £1^ to ;/^2o. Mink ranks with bear and beaver as one of the best wearing furs in existence. In this it comes before either sable or sealskin, and is second only to sea-otter. Mink fur was at one time so much in request that an attempt was made to establish " minkeries " for the purpose of breeding the animal. But as in the case of sable, it was found that the fur of the mink then so deteriorated as to be almost worthless. Mink of a dark shade is sometimes passed off as Russian sable. But this fraud can easily be de- tected, as the fur is shorter than sable and much more fluffy. Mention will be made of other cheap furs in a future article.