From Ilf and Petrov's "The 12 Chairs" (Chapter 22: "Ellochka the Cannibal"):
Остап сразу понял, как вести себя в светском обществе. Он закрыл глаза и сделал шаг назад.
- Прекрасный мех! - воскликнул он.
- Шутите! - сказала Эллочка нежно. - Это мексиканский тушкан.
- Быть этого не может. Вас обманули. Вам дали гораздо лучший мех. Это шанхайские барсы. Ну да! Барсы! Я узнаю их по оттенку. Видите, как мех играет на солнце!.. Изумруд! Изумруд!
Эллочка сама красила мексиканского тушкана зелёной акварелью, и потому похвала утреннего посетителя была ей особенно приятна.
Ostap knew at once how he should behave in such high society. He closed
his eyes and took a step backwards. "A beautiful fur!" he exclaimed.
"You're kidding," said Ellochka tenderly. "It's Mexican jerboa."
"It can't be. They made a mistake. You were given a much better fur.
It's Shanghai leopard. Yes, leopard. I recognize it by the shade. You see
how it reflects the sun. Just like emerald!"
Ellochka had dyed the Mexican jerboa with green water-colour herself,
so the morning visitor's praise was particularly pleasing.
There is no such animal as Mexican jerboa (jerboas' habitat is North Africa and Asia; besides, тушкан doesn't exist at all). But we should pardon Ellochka whose vocabulary consists of only thirty words (btw., note her "шутите", "you're kidding"). Tushkan + pin = Pushkin + tan
Furs are also important in Ada.
Alexey Sklyarenko