384
REMARKS OX FURS EXHIBITED—RU SSI AX SABLE, &c.
[Class XVI.
mahogany', which being beaten out, and repeated severaltimes, conduces to make the fur glossy and clean, and tolit it for the cutter to fashion into any shape that may berequired.
The fur of most animals is in its greatest perfection atthe approach of winter, and before the animal has attainedits greatest age. It is the object of the furrier, by dye-ing the inferior skins, to imitate the more perfect speci-mens. Some difficulty lias attended this process, as thenature of the skin wili admit of the dyes being used onlyin a cold state, but the method which has been practisedin Paris and London has been so far successful, that thepermanence of the colour in the dyed sable is frequentlyfound of equal durability to that of skins of the natural Icolour. Considerable excellence has been attained alsoin dyeing rabbit and inferior furs of those colours whichare more suitable to the prevailing taste.
The several contributions of furs in the Exhibition,taken as a whole, form a complete collection of all theskins known to be used for ornament or dress; these ofthe Hudson’s Bay Company , and the Central Com-mittee of Nova Scotia , are adorned with some of thechoicest skins known to commerce; but our notice wouldbe very incomplete if we omitted to mention the remark-ably beautiful and extensive collection of skins, and spe-cimens of taxidermy, furnished to the Exhibition byseveral members of the nobility and other gentlemen, junder the superintendence of Messrs. Nicholay & Son, !of Oxford Street. We have also to notice the valuable jarticles exhibited by the same firm, on which the Jury !made the following minute, 9th July, 1851 - j
[The Jury having closely examined the extensive and ;interesting collection of furs exhibited by Messrs. Ni- !cholay and Sou, Her Majesty’s furriers (301), as well as ;the large assortment of manufactured articles, of excel- ilent design and workmanship, resolve;—that they con-sider them worthy of especial notice, and have pleasurein recording their judgment that the collection wouldfully entitle Messrs. Nicholay and Son to a Prize Medal,which they are precluded from awarding them, in conse-quence of one of the firm being a member of this Jury.]
We proceed to give a brief account of the animals thatare captured for their fur, the skins of which are exhi-bited in various parts of the Building, commencing witli —
Tiie Russian Sable (J fustcla zibdlina ).—Tills rich andbeautiful skin has long been esteemed one of the mostvaluable and useful furs that have been brought to ourcountry. About 25,000 are annually collected in theRussian territories, of which only a small number is im-ported into England. The fur is brown, with some greyspots on the head. The darker varieties are the most highlyvalued, a single skin being frequently sold for 9/., thoughthe average value does not exceed 21. or 37. Naturalistsare not agreed whether to consider the animal from whichthe skin is procured as a distinct species. Some are ofopinion that the Russian sable, the stone and pine mar-tens, as well as the Hudson’s Bay sable, are but onespecies, on which the differences of food and climate have 'produced some slight variations in form and colour. Tothe furrier, however, the Russian sable is easily distin-guishable, from the length and fulness, as well as thedarker colour of the fur. The use of this choice varietyis necessarily limited to the wealthy, on account of itshigh value. In the reign of Henry VIII. , by a lawwhich sought to regulate the expenses of the differentclasses, and to distinguish them by peculiarity of costume,the use of the sable was confined to the nobility above therank of viscount.
Hudson’s Bay Sable (Mustela Canadensis ).—The sableskins next in repute to the Russian are those importedby the Hudson’s Bay Company , of which no less than120,000 are annually brought into this country. As thenatural colour of the skins is much lighter than the pre-vailing taste, it is the practice to dye many of them adarker colour, and the furs thus treated are scarcely infe-rior to the natural sable.
Baum or Pine Marten (Mustela abictum ).—The sablesimported under this name are the produce of Europe .The animal is found in exteusive forests remote from the
habitations of man, and preying on birds and the smalleranimals. They are distinguished from the stone martenby the yellow colour of the throat; other parts of theskin are brown. When dyed, they have a similar appear-ance to the best sable.
Stone Marten (Mustela saxorum ).—This marten is ge-nerally found in mountainous and stony places, though afrequent visitor to farm-yards and homesteads. It isgenerally distributed through most European countries.The under fur is a bluish white, with the top hairs adark brown. The throat of this variety is usually of apure white, by which character it is generally distin-guished. The French manufacturers excel in dveingthis fur, from which circumstance it is frequently calledFrench sahle. It is also dyed in this country, the excel-lent qualities of the skin adapting it to a great variety ofpurposes to which furs are applied.
Fisher. —There are about 11,000 of these skins annuallybrought to this country from North America ; they arelarger than the sables, and the fur is longer and fuller.The tail is long, round, and full, gradually tapering toa point, and quite black; a few years since it formedthe common ornament to a national cap worn by theJew merchants of Poland , and at that time was worthfrom 6s. to 9s., but its present value does not exceed Cd.to 9(7.
Mink (Mustela vison ).—There were 245,000 skins ofthis little animal brought to this country last year fromthe possessions of the Hudson’s Bay Company and North America . The fur resembles the sable in colour, but isconsiderably shorter and more glossy. It is a very dur-able and useful fur, and is exported in large quantitiesto the Continent.
Ermine (Mustela cmimca ).—This animal is similar inform and habit to the common weasel of this country ;but in Siberia , Russia , and Norway , from whence theskins are imported, the little animal, during winter, be-comes as white as the snowy regions it inhabits, and isesteemed as the whitest fur known, though its summerdress is a dingy brown. The tail of the skin, of whichthe lower half is jet black, is generally introduced as anornament to the purely white fur. It is worn on stateoccasions, and in the reign of Edward III. , its use was re-stricted to the royal family.
Fitch or Polecat (Mustela putorius ).—These skins areproduced throughout Europe , and in no place of betterquality than in our own country. The ground of the furis a rich yellow, while the top hair is a jet black. Thisfur is at present very little used in this country, but ismuch worn in America . It is very durable, but thenatural smell of the fur, which is rather unpleasant, isdifficult to counteract.
North American Skunk (Mephitis Americana ).—Theskins known under this name are imported by the Hud son’s Bay Company . The animal from which they aretaken is allied to the polecat of Europe , and, from thefeetor it emits when attacked, which lias been known toaffect persons with sickness at ICO yards distance, liasreceived the soubriquet of “ Enfant du Diable.” It hasa soft black fur, with two white stripes running from thehead to the tail, which is short and bushy. The skins,though imported into England in small numbers, areusually re-exported to the continent of Europe .
Kolinsky (Mustela Sibenca ).—The Kolinski or Tartarsable is of a bright yellow colour, and is sometimes usedfor ladies’ dress in its natural state, but it is more fre-quently dyed brown to imitate other sable, to which itbears a strong resemblance. It is remarkable for theuniformity of its colour, having no spot or difference ofshade in any part of the body. The tail, which is of thesame colour, is exclusively used for the best artists’pencils.
Musquash , or Musk Rat (Fiber zibethicus ).—The animalknown under this name is found in great numbers inNorth America , frequenting swamps and rivers, and, likethe beaver, building its habitations of mud with greatingenuity. Dr. Richardson states, that it has three littersof young in the course of the summer, producing fromthree to seven at a litter. The animal lias a peculiarsmell, similar to that of musk ; but it must not be mis-