[Ron Wood]

Jerry,
The brown fur busbys were otter and mostly worn by officers and private purchase by senior NCOs. The black were sealskin mostly worn by ratings. But occasionally you see a really upscale black one that was probably worn by an officer, possibly a one year volunteer or reservist. The really fancy high officer parade plumes were feathers, probably egret. The smaller ones were used for less formal occasions, were not as fragile and are made of horsehair...that is what mine is (wouldn't mind having a feather one. I would make one but it is illegal to obtain and use wild bird feathers in the US unless you are a Native American). The field badge on mine is a very high quality and about mint, a nice find.