Kangaroo.—The sizes vary greatly, the larger kinds being generally used for making leather. The sorts used for fur are, blue kangaroo, bush kangaroo, wallaroo, rock wallaby, swamp wallaby, and short-tailed wallaby. Many of the swamp wallabies are dyed imitation skunk, and look quite attractive. The colors are generally yellowish or brown, some in the swamp variety being dark brown. The skins are quite strong. The rock wallabies are soft and woolly, and often have a bluish tone. They are used for rugs.
Kolinsky.—12 × 21⁄2 inches. It is of the marten family. The under-hair is short and rather weak, but regular, as is also the top-hair. The color is usually a uniform yellow. They are generally dyed in imitation of other members of the marten family. It is very light in weight, and the best skins are obtained from Siberia. The tails are used for artists’ “sable” brushes.
Lambs.—Those of commercial interest are from South Russia, Persia, and Afghanistan, and include Persian Lamb, Broadtail, Astrachan, Shiraz, Bokhara, Caracul, and Krimmers.
The Persians are 18 × 9 inches, and are the finest and best. When properly dressed and dyed they should have regular, close, bright curls, varying from small to very large and if of equal size, regularity, tightness and brightness, their value is inestimable.
All the above lambs, except krimmer, are naturally a rusty black or brown, and are in most cases dyed a jet black. Luster cannot be imparted where naturally lacking.
Broadtails, 10 × 5 inches, are the young of the Persians, killed before the wool has had time to develop beyond the flat wavy state. They are naturally of exceedingly light weight, and when of an even pattern possessing a lustrous sheen are costly. The pelt, however, is too delicate to resist hard wear.
Astrachan, Shiraz, and Bokhara lambs, 22 × 9 inches, are of a coarser and looser curl. Caracul lambs are the very young of the astrachan, and the finest skins are almost as effective as the broadtails, although not so fine in texture.
Krimmers, 24 × 10 inches are grey lambs obtained from Crimea. They are of a similar nature to the caraculs, but looser in curl, and ranging in color from a very light to a dark grey, the best being pale bluish-greys.
Slink lambs come from South America and China. The South American are very small, and generally those are still-born. They have a particularly thin pelt, with very close wool of minute curls. The Chinese sorts are much larger.
Leopard.—3 × 6 feet long. There are several kinds, the chief being the snow leopard or ounce, Chinese, Bengal, Persian, East Indian, and African. The first variety inhabits the Himalayas, and has a deep, soft fur, quite long as compared with the Bengal sort. The colors are pale orange and white with dark markings. The Chinese are of a medium orange-brown color and full in fur. The East Indian are less full and not so dark; the Bengal are dark and medium in color with short, hard hair. The African are small, with pale lemon-colored ground, and very closely marked with black spots.