Page:Fur and the Fur Trade.djvu/13

Rh red and mottled. Best come from Holland; the poorest from Russia. Used very generally for fur work. Price of best black 4 s. to 8 s.; other sorts nominal.

Ermine.—Size, 4 by 10 inches; overhair and fur fine soft, and close; pelt thin and tough; colour pure white, the tip of the tail black. Best are from Barabinsk and Ischim, in Siberia. Used for muffs, garments, and linings. Value variable; the best have been as high as 6 s., and as low as 7 d.

Fisher.—Size, 15 by 30 inches; overhair very fine, glossy, dark, and durable, 2 inches long; fur close; tail 12 inches long, bushy, and dark. A right noble skin. Best from British America. Value from £2 to £4.

Fitch.—Size about that of the American mink; overhair fine, 1½ inches long, with dark points; fur a golden yellow. Best from Germany, Holland, and Denmark; smallest from Russia. Used tor ladies' furs according to the prevalent fashion. Value from 2 s.

Fox, Silver.—Size, 2 by 4 feet; overhair thick and fine 3 inches long, varied in colour from pale silver to a brilliant blue black; fur fine and curly; its beauty places it at the head of all fancy furs; the tail is a royal brush. The choicest are from Labrador and Moon Fort; those of Russia are more woolly and less valuable. Used tor muffs, boas, and linings of robes. Price from £10 to £40.

Fox, Cross.—Not quite so large as the silver, with fine overhair, but a shade of red at the points, and from the paleness of the fur making a distinct dark cross at the shoulders. Best are from the Hudson's Bay territory, and valued from £2 to £8.

Fox, Blue.—Size the same as the cross, with grey-blue overhair, and a woolly fur. The finest are from Archangel on the White Sea, and from Greenland. Value from £2 to £4.

Fox White.—Size the same as the cross, with pure white overhair and fur. The best are from Labrador, the poorest from Asia. Value from 4 s. to 12 s.

Fox Red.—Well known to all northern nations; abundant m Europe, but in size and beauty inferior to the American family. The former fetch 4 s., while those from Labrador are valued at 16 s.

Fox Grey.—Only found in the United States. Overhair is grey sprinkled with silver on the back, the sides are yellow, and the tall an ashen grey. Value from 4 s. to 8 s.

Fox, Kitt.—Found in north-west America and in Tartary. Overhair fine; the back is a pure grey, the sides yellow, and the belly white. In size it is the smallest of the foxes. Price from 1 s to 3 s.

Hamster.—Size, 3 by 5 inches; hair short and close, back grey and the sides yellow. A great trouble to the farmers in Germany, who spare no pains to exterminate them. The pelt is made into linings for cloaks.

Hare.—Overhair fine; fur very long, fine, abundant, and strong, pelt weak; colour grey and white. Best are from Russia. This skin is largely used by furriers, but its fur is among the best for hatters' purposes. Value from 5 d. to 1 s.