Catgut

Catgut, from kit-gut, i.e. gut used for kit or fiddle-strings, is the name employed for strings for musical instruments, manufactured from the intestines of sheep, horses, mules, and other animals. They are scraped, steeped in alkali, sometimes bleached, and twisted into the forms required. The best catguts - called "Roman strings" - come from Italy. Catgut is also used for clocks, bowstrings, whipcord, and other purposes. Much of that prepared from horses and mules is manufactured in France.