The finest black foxes are caught in different parts of Siberia, and more commonly in the Northern regions between the Rivers Lena, Indigirka, and Kovyma: the black foxes found upon the remotest Eastern islands discovered by the Russians, or the Lyssie Ostrova, are not so valuable. They are very black and large; but the coat for the most part is as coarse as that of a wolf. The great difference in the fineness of the fur, between these foxes and those of Siberia, arises probably from the following circumstances. In those islands the cold is not so severe as in Siberia; and as there is no wood, the foxes live in holes and caverns of the rocks; whereas in the abovementioned parts of Siberia, there are large tracts of forests in which they find shelter. Some black foxes however are occasionally caught in the remotest Eastern Islands, not wholly destitute of wood, and these are of great value. In general the Chinese, who pay the dearest for black furs, do not give more for the black foxes of the new-discovered islands than from 20 to 30 Roubles per skin.
The arctic or ice foxes are very common upon some of the New-Discovered Islands. They are called Petsi by the Russians, and by the Germans blue foxes. |Pennant's Synopsis.| Their natural colour is of a bluish grey or ash colour; but they change their coat at different ages, and in differerent seasons of the year. In general they are born brown, are white in winter, and brown in summer; and in spring and autumn, as the hair gradually falls off, the coat is marked with different specks and crosses.
| At Kiachta[14] all the several varieties sell upon an average to the Chinese per skin from 50 copecs to | 2-2/3 Roubles. |
| Stone Foxes at Kamtchatka per skin from | 1 to 2-1/2 |
| Red Foxes from 80 copecs to | 1 80 copecs. |
| At Kiachta from 80 copecs to | 9 |
| Common wolves skins at per skin | 2 |
| Best sort per skin from | 8 to 16 |
| Sables per ditto | 2-1/2 to 10 |
| A pood of the best sea-horse teeth[15] sells At Yakutsk for | 10 Roubles. |
| Of the middling | 8 |
| Inferior ditto | from 5 to 7. |
Four, five, or six teeth generally weigh a pood, and sometimes, but very rarely, three. They are sold to the Chinese, Monguls, and Calmucs.
ACCOUNT
OF THE
NEW DISCOVERIES
MADE BY THE
RUSSIANS
IN THE EASTERN OCEAN,
BETWEEN KAMTCHATKA AND AMERICA.
TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN.
WITH NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR.