The term fur is sometimes distinctively applied to hairy animal skins when prepared for being made into articles of dress, etc, while the name of peltry is given to them in an unprepared state or when merely dried. The animals chiefly sought after for the sake of their furs were the beaver, raccoon, musk-rat, squirrel, hare, rabbit, the chinchilla, bear (black, grey, and brown), otter, sea-otter, seal, wolf, wolverine or glutton, marten, ermine, lynx, coypou (nutria), polecat (fitch), opossum, fox, etc. All the preparation that skins require before being sent to the market is to make them perfectly dry, so as to prevent them from putrefying. This is done by exposing them to the heat of the sun or a fire. The small skins are sometimes previously steeped in a solution of alum. When stored in large quantities they must be carefully preserved from dampness, as well as from moths. The fur-dresser, on receiving the skins, first subjects them to a softening process. He next cleans them from loose pieces of the integument by scraping them with a metalblade. Finally, the fur is cleaned and combed, after which it is handed over to the cutter, who cuts the furs out into the various shapes required to make different articles.
In Europe the furtrade was fed chiefly by Russia, which yielded great quantities of furs, especially in the Asiatic portion of her dominions. Austria, Turkey, Scandinavia, etc, also yielded a certain quantity.
The furtrade of America has long been highly important, and several great trading companies were engaged in it, of which the Dutch East India Company was first. The French early took up the furtrade in Canada, and their chain of forts and trading posts at one time extended from Hudson's Bay to New Orleans. Quebec and Montreal were at first trading posts. In 1670 Charles II granted to Prince Rupert and others a charter empowering them to trade exclusively with the aborigines of the Hudson's Bay region. A company, then and after called the Hudson's Bay Company, was formed, which for a period of nearly two centuries possessed a monopoly of the furtrade in the vast tract of country known as the Hudson's Bay Territory. In the winter of 1783-1784 another company was formed at Montreal, called, the North-west fur Company, which disputed the right of the Hudson's Bay Company, and actively opposed it. After a long and bitter rivalry the two companies united in 1821, retaining the name of Hudson's Bay Company. The monopoly which had hitherto been enjoyed by the original company about Hudson's Bay was much extended; but in 1868 an act of parliament was passed to make provision for the surrender, upon certain terms, of all the territories belonging to the company, and for their incorporation with the Dominion of Canada. In 1869 the surrender was carried out, Canada paying 300,000 pounds to the company by way of compensation. The company still possessed large stretches of valuable land, and many houses, forts, and posts in the region formerly belonging to it. Its operations even extended beyond British America into the United States and to the Sandwich Islands and Alaska. It employed a large staff of agents, traders, Indian hunters, etc. Some of its posts were situated far north, almost approaching the Arctic Ocean.
In the United States, the fur-trade, especially that trade in beaverfur, was an important element in the economic life of all the colonies in the seventeenth century, and in the struggle between England and France for the possession of North America, also in all negotiations respecting the northwest boundary of the United States. In 1809 John Jacob Astor secured the incorporation of the American Fur Company. He founded Astoria in Oregon, and attempted to connect it with Mackinaw by a line of posts and consolidate the whole north-western fur-trade. After the War of 1812 he renewed his attempt. In 1816 the American Congress passed an act excluding foreign fur-traders. Research Fur-Trade
The kinkajou (Potos flavus) is a small tropical American mammal of the family Procyonidae, related to the raccoon, and distinguished by its long prehensile tail. It is nocturnal and arboreal, filling the same ecological niche at night that the New World monkey occupies by day. The kinkajou attains a body length of about 50 cm; its tail is almost as long. It has a round head, a short face, and a slender body covered with soft, yellowish- brown woolly fur. Gentle in disposition, it can be readily tamed as a pet. It feeds on insects, small birds and mammals, birds' eggs, fruit, and honey (it is sometimes called the honey bear). Kinkajous are mostly solitary, but mates may travel together. The female produces a single offspring in the spring or summer. The life span is believed to be about 20 years. Research Kinkajou
The Maine coon is a hardy breed of long-haired cat known for its resemblance to a raccoon and for being the oldest known breed of cat in the USA. The coat is thick and shaggy and can be any variety of colours with lighter, wavy patterns mixed in. The ears are large, tufted, and tapering to a point, the tail is as long as the body, bushy, and wide, the eyes are round and complement the coat colour. The Maine Coon cat likes to curl up in odd positions while sleeping in any of a variety of favourite locations and enjoys retrieval games. Maine coon cats have an easy going nature and are good mousers and hunters of small game. Research Maine Coon
The panda is one of two carnivores of different families, native to north west China and Tibet. The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) has black-and- white fur with black eye patches and feeds mainly on bamboo shoots, consuming about eight kg of bamboo per day. It can grow up to 1.5m long, and weigh up to 140kg. The lesser, common, or red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is of the raccoon family, and is about 50cm long and is coloured black and chestnut, with a long tail. Research Panda
The raccoon (also spelled racoon) (Procyon) is a genus of American plantigradecarnivorous mammals. The common raccoon (Procyon lotor) has greyish-brown fur with two well-marked black patches on the face. The fur is long, thick and soft, and is used for making hats. Research Raccoon
Abbreviations
Research Fur-Trade
