The skins of the black and the brown bear sell for from $20 to $40 each, while that of the grisly bear commands a somewhat lower price. The skins of the wolf and the wolverene are generally used for sleigh robes and mats, though cloak linings are sometimes made of the latter in Germany. The average value of wolf skins is about $2; the finest specimens from the Hudson bay region are worth about $6. The skins of the wolverene are valued at from $3 to $7.-Valuable furs are supplied from many other animals besides those enumerated, as the badger, whose long wiry hairs are also used for shaving brushes. The domestic cat is bred in Holland for its fur, and the skins are merchantable in the United States, being worth from 10 to 50 cts. each. Mention has been made of the paws of the black Astrakhan lamb. This animal is covered with the most rich and glossy silk-like fur, all the more delicate, it is said, when obtained, as is not unusual, by slaughtering the mother before the birth of the lamb. The fur of the Persian gray and black lambs is made the better to retain its curliness by the practice of sewing the animal tightly in leather immediately after its birth.

The furs of the leopard, tiger, lion, etc, find uses as sleigh robes, mats, etc.-The most valuable furs are generally obtained from small animals inhabiting cold countries. Land fur-bearing animals are taken by means of the dead-fall, poisoning, shooting, and steel traps. The last named method is the best and the one most generally practised, as the fur of the animal if captured in any of the other ways is likely to be injured. All furs, at least of the land animals, are in the best condition in the winter; the trapping, therefore, is generally carried on between the first of October and the middle of April. During the summer the fur-bearing animals generally shed their coats, or at least lose the finest and thickest part of their fur. At the approach of winter the fur becomes glossy, thick, and of the richest color, and the inside part of the skin, or pelt, when taken from the animal and dried, has a clean, white appearance. The fur seal, however, is taken between May and November.-As a rule, furs, except those of the highest class, are not regarded with the most favor in the country where they are obtained. The price of the fur is regulated more by fashion than by its intrinsic value, and is therefore subject to marked fluctuations.

The handsome fur of the black skunk was fashionable for many years before it was worn in the United States; while the fur of the fitch, which was at one time generally worn here, was not esteemed in Germany; and so the silver-gray rabbit, despised in England, was long highly prized by the mandarins of China. Several kinds of furs which commanded high prices a few years ago are now in little demand in consequence of having become unfashionable. The values heretofore mentioned are given by C. G. Gunther's sons of New York, the leading dealers of the United States in manufactured furs, as the average wholesale prices.for 1874, according to the London market. The greater portion of the furs of commerce are collected from the North American continent.-The chief fur market of the world is London. Two great semi-annual sales, attended by dealers from all parts of the world, are held in March and September, besides a sale of less importance in January of each year. Two great an-

In addition to the above, about 160,000 fur-seal skins were sold at from 5*. to £4 4s. each, the average price being about £2. There are also sold annually in London a considerable number of chinchilla, nutria, and ermine skins. Besides the furs sold in London, a moderate portion of those annually collected in the United States are retained there for use, amounting to about 150,000 mink and 750,000 musquash skins; and a small number of the other furs are manufactured and worn. The number of the chief fur skins annually collected in Russia, Sweden and Norway, Iceland, and Greenland has been estimated as follows: badger, 23,000; bear, 2,300; cat, nual fairs for the sale of furs and other articles are also held in Leipsic, the supply of furs being largely obtained from the London sales. The larger portion of the furs sold in London are offered by the Hudson bay company and C. M. Lampson and co., the former importers and the latter commission merchants. It is estimated that the value of the furs sold annually by them and some smaller dealers is about £1,300,000, including seal skins valued at £400,000, all of which are the production of the United States and British America. In addition to the above, American furs to the value of about £100,000 are annually sent direct to Germany and Russia. The variety of furs in use, their relative value, and the extent of the fur trade, are indicated in the following table of sales in London in 1873 of the two leading fur-dealing companies of the world:

* January sales.

+ Including 21,491. at the January sale.

205,000; ermine, 50,000; fitch, 220,000; fox -silver and cross 100, blue 6.500, white 23,000, red 85,000; hare, 1,200,000; lynx, 9,000; marmot, 5,000; marten, 60,000; mink, 55,000; otter, 9,000; sable, 6,000; seal (hair), 330,000; squirrel, 1,000,000; stone marten, 150,000; wolf, 6,000; wolverene, 700.-Fur Dressing. As skins are sent to market they have been commonly merely dried in the sun or by a fire; but small skins are sometimes first steeped in a solution of alum. The object is to render the pelt perfectly dry, so that when packed it shall not be liable to putrefy. When stored in large quantities the skins are carefully protected from dampness. As the fur dresser receives the skins he causes them to be subjected to different processes according to the kind of fur and the object for which it is intended. The fine qualities for ornamental dresses are usually placed in tubs together with a quantity of rancid butter or lard, and are then trampled upon by the feet of men. The pelt thus becomes softened, as if partially tanned. They are next cleaned of the loose bits of integument by rubbing them with a strip of iron. The grease is then removed by trampling them again with a mixture of sawdust (that of mahogany is preferred) and occasionally beating them, and combing the fur.