These are nearly all collected by the natives of the territory, and traded off for the necessaries of their mode of life. The catching of fur seals, however, is a special branch of the trade. The demand for skins of this kind having greatly increased, and the animal having been nearly exterminated in other parts of the world, the United States extended special jurisdiction over the islands of St. Paul and St. George, and passed a law regulating the taking of the seals. The exclusive privilege of catching the fur seal is granted by the government to the Alaska commercial company of San Francisco. The number of seals to be taken is limited to 100,000 per annum, and only males may be killed. No restriction is placed upon the taking of other kinds of animals, and the general fur trade is open to competition. The Alaska commercial company has about 20 trading posts on the mainland and islands of Alaska, where are gathered large numbers of skins, which are annually brought to San Francisco, and forwarded thence chiefly to London.

The annual value of the fur trade of Alaska is estimated at upward of $1,200,000, while the sum received by the government as a tax imposed upon the taking of seals exceeds $300,-000 yearly. The number of fur skins collected in Alaska in 1872 was as follows:

-The most fashionable and costly of all furs is the Russian sable, the skin of the mustela zibellina, which is about three or four times as large as the common weasel, to which family it belongs. A choice skin of the sea otter or the black fox may command a higher price than one of the Russian sable; but the cost of the latter will be relatively greater on account of its smaller size. The fur of the Russian sable is brown in summer, with some gray spots on the head, and may be distinguished from all other furs by the hairs turning and lying equally well in-any direction. In winter, when the animal is usually taken, the color of the fur is a beautiful black. The darkest skins are the most valuable. In its natural condition the fur has a bloomy appearance; but dyed sables generally lose their gloss and the hairs become twisted or crisped. Sometimes the skins are blackened by being smoked, but the deception is exposed by the smell and the crisped hairs. A dyed or smoked fur may be detected by rubbing it with a moist linen cloth, which will then become blackened. It is said, however, that the Chinese dye the sables and give them a permanent color without destroying the gloss; in this case the fraud may be detected by the crisped hairs.

The best skins are obtained in Yakutsk, Kamtchatka, and Russian Lapland. Only about 25,000.are annually taken, and these command extraordinary prices, the average price of a raw skin being about $25, while a choice crown " Russian sable will sell for $200. But few of these furs reach the English or American market. The chief demand is in Russia, where the use of the sable is monopolized by the imperial family and the nobility, by whom it is chiefly used for linings for civic robes, coats, etc, and for ladies' sets. In America Russian sable is used for ladies' muffs and boas. The price of the choicest sets, consisting of these two articles, is from $1,000 to $1,600, though sets of lighter shade and inferior quality may be bought for from $250 to $400. Beautiful sets are also made of the tail of the animal. Of the sables, the next to the Russian in value and beauty is the pine marten, obtained in British North America, and known as the Hudson bay sable. The fur is fine, long, and generally of a lustrous brown color, which is frequently tinted to resemble the Russian 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, etc, and is much worn in the United States in muffs and boas, a set costing from $I00 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 sables. 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 ladies1 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 vison) 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, etc, 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 animal only 10 or 12 inches in length, much resembling 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. Further south the change from brown to white is less marked. In consequence of this peculiarity, 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 Astrakhan lamb are often substituted for the tail of the ermine. This fur, called minever in heraldry, has been the royal fur of several European nations, and has been much used in England to line the official robes of judges and magistrates, its snowy white color being regarded as the emblem of purity. In the reign of Edward III. its use was restricted to the royal family.