fur trade.—­Some bits of History in connection with Furs.—­Ancient use of Furs.—­Furs a medium of Exchange.—­Furs and Fashion.—­Extravagance in Fur Costume.—­Choice Furs as Badges of Rank.—­Their use restricted to Royal Families.—­The Early Fur Trade of Europe.—­A Tribute paid in Furs.—­Early History of the Fur Trade in America.—­Origin of the Hudson’s Bay Company.—­Hostility of the French Canadian Traders.—­Establishment of the North West Company.—­Competition and War.—­Consolidation of the two Companies.—­Great sales of the Hudson’s Bay Company.—­Importance of the Fur Trade.—­Cities founded by the enterprise of the Trapper.—­St. Paul.—­Montreal and Mackinaw.—­Fortunes built up on Fur Traffic.—­John Jacob Astor.—­Mink and Muskrat Skins.—­Their extensive use in America.—­Estimated value of the annual yield of Raw Furs throughout the World.—­Classification of Furs by American Dealers.—­“Home” Furs.—­“Shipping” Furs.—­Table of Sales of Hudson’s Bay Company, in 1873.—­March Sale.—­September Sale.—­Price according to Quality.—­Estimated average per Skin.—­List of American “Shipping” Furs.—­List of American “Home” Furs.—­Market value of fur skins.—­Eccentricities of the Fur Market.—­Demand governed by Fashion.—­How Fashion runs the Fur Trade.—­The Amateur Trapper and the Fur Trade.—­Difficulty of a profitable disposal of Furs.—­Advice to the Novice.—­How to realize on the sale of Furs.—­Table of values of American fur skins.—­A complete list of American Fur bearing Animals.—­Various prices of Skins according to Quality.—­Uses of American furs at home and abroad.—­The Silver Fox.—­Fifty Guineas for a Fur Skin.—­Red Fox Fur.—­Its [Page xii] use in Oriental Countries.—­Beaver Fur.—­Its various uses.—­Raccoon Skins, a great Staple for Russia and Germany.—­Bear Skins and their various uses.—­Lynx, Fisher, and Marten Skins.—­The Mink.—­Use of its hair for Artists pencils.—­Muskrat Skins.—­Three millions annually exported to Germany alone.—­Their extensive use among the American poorer classes.—­Otter Fur.—­Sleigh Robes from Wolf Skins.—­Rabbit Fur.—­Its use in the Manufacture of Hats.—­Breeding Rabbits for their Fur.—­The Wolverine.—­Skunk Fur, dignified by the name of Alaska Sable.—­Large shipments to Foreign Countries.—­How the Fur of the Badger is used.—­Opossum, Puma, and Wild Cat Fur.—­Robes for the Fashionable.—­Squirrel and Mole skins.

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Full pages.

    1.  Caught at last.
    2.  Traps for Large Game.
    3.  Snares or Noose Traps.
    4.  Traps for Feathered Game.
    5.  Miscellaneous Traps.
    6.  Household Traps.
    7.  Steel Traps, and the art of Trapping.
    8.  Almost Persuaded.—­to face.
    9.  The Campaign.
   10.  Trapper’s Miscellany.