Жизнь пушных зверей

by Pyotr Manteufel, Петр Мантейфель

Пушнина нашей страны пользуется заслуженной сла­вой во всём мире. Её охотно покупают у нас зарубежные страны, оплачивая золотом. Огромное количество пуш­нины используется и внутри страны.
В чём же ценность шкурок пушных зверей? Почему такой большой спрос на эти шкурки?
Прежде всего шкурки почти всех наших пушных зверей обладают поразительной красотой. Вспомните темнокоричневую с серебристой проседью шкурку бобра с ровным, плотным волосяным покровом; белую, как снег, шкурку горностая; тёмную, лоснящуюся и удиви­тельно мягкую шкурку соболя; золотом отливающую на солнце шкурку лисицы; голубовато-серую шкурку белки; тёмную, бархатную шкурку крота, — все они удивляют и чаруют глаз превосходными оттенками и красками.

144 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1948

About the author

Pyotr Alexandrovich Manteifel (Russian: Пётр Александрович Манте́йфель) was a Soviet zoologist and naturalist. He was a scion of the famous Zoege von Manteuffel family of Baltic Germans. He was born in Moscow, the son of the writer, musician and civil servant Alexander Petrovich Zoege von Manteuffel. Pyotr spent his childhood in the Vikhrovo estate in Serpukhov district. In 1902, he graduated from the Voskresensky school and entered the Petrovsk Agricultural Academy for higher studies. In 1905, he got married to the daughter of a court official; two years later, this marriage produced a son, Boris Manteifel, who grew up to be a prominent Soviet biologist.

In addition to classes at the academy, Manteuffel attended lectures at Moscow University, and went on nature expeditions to Central Asia and Central Russia. After graduating with honors in 1910, he became an agronomist and soil scientist. Soon he was called up for military service, and in 1914 he was mobilized to the war front; the First World War and the Russian Civil War forced him to interrupt his scientific activities for many years.

In 1924, the director of the Moscow Zoo, MM Zavadovsky, invited Manteuffel to head the ornithological section. He was later appointed deputy director for scientific affairs. Manteuffel was a crucial figure behind the formation of the famous KYBZ, or the Circle of Young Biologists of the Zoo, proving himself to be a popular and talented teacher. The pupils called him Uncle; many future scientists, zoologists and naturalists came out of this youth program, among them Nikolai Kalabukhov, Elena Ilyina, Alexander Kuzyakin, Vera Chaplina, Boris Manteifel, Lev Kaplanov, Sergey Folitarek, the brothers Vladimir Grinberg and Yuri Grinberg, Gordey Bromley, Yuri Isakov, Andrey Bannikov, Valent Kucheruk, Sergey Korytin and others.