Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VII.djvu/549

 FUR 537 sable. The average value of a dressed skin is about $8, and the choicest are worth about $25. The Hudson bay sable is the leading fur in England, France, and Germany, for muffs, capes, collars, boas, &c., and is much worn in the United States in muffs and boas, a set cost- ing from $100 to $300. Much inferior to this is the fur of the European pine marten, which is usually grayish brown ; the skins range in value from $1 to $4, and are chiefly sent to England and dyed to imitate the finer grades of Hudson bay sable. The fur of the beech or stone marten is yellowish brown, but is often dyed in imitation of more valuable sa- bles. The French excel in dyeing this fur, which therefore is often known as French sable. The best specimens are obtained in Europe, where it is much used for trimmings and articles of ladies' wear ; in America it has passed out of general use. The value of an average skin is about $3, and of the finest specimens about $5. The mink or minx (putorius mson) is found in the northern parts of America, Europe, and Asia, the demand being chiefly supplied from America. The value of a dressed skin ranges from $3 to $8. The choicest furs have a chestnut-brown color glossed with black; those of a lighter color are less valuable, but are dyed in imitation of superior furs. The mink was formerly a favorite fur in America for muffs, collars, &c., and commanded a high price; but it is now rapidly passing out of fashion. One of the most noted furs of this class is that of the ermine (P. erminea), a small ani- mal only 10 or 12 inches in length, much re- 'sembling the common weasel, and inhabiting the northern regions of Europe, Asia, and America. About 400,000 skins are obtained annually, the best from Russia, Sweden, and Norway. In summer the fur is yellowish brown, but in winter at the north it becomes a pure white and exceedingly beautiful. Fur- ther south the change from brown to white is less marked. In consequence of this peculiar- ity, the animal is generally caught in the winter, when its fur is most valuable. The end of the tail is shining jet black in all seasons, and is commonly inserted at intervals in the white fur, as an ornament. The paws of the black Astra- khan lamb are often substituted for the tail of the ermine. This fur, called minever in her- aldry, has been the royal fur of several Euro- pean nations, and has been much used in Eng- land to line the official robes of judges and magistrates, its snowy white color being re- garded as the emblem of purity. In the reign of Edward III. its use was restricted to the royal family. At present it may be worn by any one ; the modes of ornamenting it, how- ever, as it is worn on state occasions, serve still to distinguish the sovereign and the rank of the peers, peeresses, judges, &c. Only the robes of the royal family can be trimmed with ermine thickly spotted with black paws of the Astrakhan lamb. The use of the ermine fur is restricted in Austria to the imperial family ; and it also distinguishes the sovereigns of Ger- many, Portugal, and Russia. The ermine is little used in the United States. The value of the skin is from $1 to $3. The fur of the black fox is exceedingly rare; a single skin commands a higher price than that of any other animal, except perhaps the sea otter. The color is a glossy black with a silvery griz- zle on the forehead and flanks. It is found in the N. W. part of the United States, in British North America, and in the arctic regions, the choicest specimens coming from Canada and Labrador. But few skins are obtained, and these command enormous prices; single speci- mens have been sold in London for 80, and there was exhibited at the world's fair in that city in 1851 a pelisse belonging to the emperor of Russia, lined and trimmed with this fur and valued at 2,000. The largest demand is in Russia, where it is worn by the nobility, and in China. The fur is fine and downy, and is used chiefly for ladies' sets and for trimmings, it be- ing specially adapted as a trimming for velvet. A muff and boa of black fox fur are valued at from $200 to $500. In natural history and in commerce the black fox is known also as the silver fox ; but among furriers and purcha- sers a marked distinction is made between a skin having black and one having silver fur, the difference being chiefly one of color. While the former has the appearance above described, the latter presents a rich, glossy, silvery color. The price of an average black fox skin is about $80, and of the choicest about $200 ; when the fur has the silvery appearance, it is valued at only about half as much. While these two grades are recognized by the Lon- don dealers, the number of skins bought and sold is generally classed under the head of sil- ver fox. Next in value is the fur of the cross fox, the choicest skins being valued at about $10 ; it is used for the same purposes as the preceding, and also for the finest kinds of carriage robes. The white fox (vulpes lago- r) is very abundant in the arctic regions, color is white in winter, and brown, gray, or bluish in summer. The fur is long, fine, and woolly; it is used for ladies' sets, dress trimmings, and sleigh robes. The price of an average skin is about $2 50, and of the choicest about $5. They are mostly exported to Eu- rope. Other varieties of fox furs of less value are those of the blue, the red, the kitt, and the gray fox. The furs of the two last named are extensively used in Turkey and Greece for li- nings for robes, &c. The skins of the red fox go chiefly to Germany, Poland, and Greece. The fur of the fisher, a North American animal much resembling the fox, is rich and soft and of a dark brown or blackish color. It is not much used in the United States, but is generally sent to Germany, Poland, and Russia, where it is used for linings of more costly furs, for trim- mings, and ladies' apparel. The tail is a used for trimmings, and frequently as an orna- ment for the cap, especially at marriage tea-