GOATS AS LEOPARDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19957, 28 May 1928, Page 7

GOATS AS LEOPARDS.

A CHANGE IN THE SPOTS. TRANSFORMATION OF SKINS. [from our own corresponded.] SYDNEY. May 18. Everybody knows that the humble rabbit, when alive, is just a rabbit, but that when dead, his skin can be made to resemble almost anything, from ermine to seal and sable. But whoever dreamt that the humble Queensland goat could be transformed after death into & leopard ? Yet such is the case, for the skin of s Queensland goat, so treated, has been shown to the fur-farming committee, and even experts were astonished at the deception. A real leopard skin is worth 30gns., and the goat imitation can be made for 6gns.— and, what is more, while the leopard cannot change his spots, the goat can. Another expert revealed that 20 years ago there was a good demand among European furriers for kangaroo skins, but suddenly there was a falling off. It war discovered thaii South American goat jkins were being made up to resemble kangaroo, and sold for a quarter the price. This same expert declared emphatically that any attempt at fur farming ia Australia must be disastrous, as Australia, was not a fur-producing country. Of course experts always differ, which explains why many others have already expressed the opinion that the proposal holds big possibilities.