. Bulletin. Natural history; Natural history. September, 1943 Brown & Yeager: Survey of Fur Resource 497 aged furs amounted to 7, 13 and 14 per cent for the northern, central and south- ern zones, respectively. Damage was prob- ably most often caused by dogs, and was common among pelts taken by night hunt- ers. The percentage of damaged furs showed a correlation by zones with the amount of night hunting. Other causes of damage were carelessness in skinning and stretching, wherein pelts were cut or torn; fighting by the animals before or after they were taken in traps; and spoilage. Damage
. Bulletin. Natural history; Natural history. September, 1943 Brown & Yeager: Survey of Fur Resource 497 aged furs amounted to 7, 13 and 14 per cent for the northern, central and south- ern zones, respectively. Damage was prob- ably most often caused by dogs, and was common among pelts taken by night hunt- ers. The percentage of damaged furs showed a correlation by zones with the amount of night hunting. Other causes of damage were carelessness in skinning and stretching, wherein pelts were cut or torn; fighting by the animals before or after they were taken in traps; and spoilage. Damage from fighting, which in some species shortly precedes mating activity, was common late in the season. Minor types of damage, from the standpoint of volume, were "curling," "singeing," "rub- bing" and "fading," all usually a result of wear or mechanical injury and not apparent until late in the season. Musk-. Fig. 32.—Location of major fur companies and local fur buyers interviewed in determin- ing quality of Illinois furs and practices em- ployed in the state's fur trade. One major company in Chicago and four in St. Louis, Mo., are represented. rats showed by far the largest volume of damaged fur. Opossums showed the high- est percentage. This was due probably to the large volume of opossum furs taken with dogs and to carelessness in skinning and stretching these low-priced pelts. Other species such as raccoons and red foxes were occasionally damaged at the time of capture or in handling. A large part of damage in all species is prevent- able. In Illinois minks, an inferior grade known as "cotton" is found. "Cotton" minks are usually detected by blowing into the fur side of the pelt, which discloses the grayish color of the under fur; some skins are so white that the defect is discernible from a distance. There appeared to be a distinct increase in the per cent of "cot- ton" minks for 1939-40 over the prece
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