Class I. BADGER. 



the middle of the forehead, are white: each ear and 

 eye is inclofed in a pyramidal bed of black j the 

 bafe of which inclofes the former ; the point ex- 

 tends beyond the eye to the nofe : the hairs on the 

 body are of three colors ; the bottoms of a dirty yel- 

 lowifh white -, the middle black •, the ends afh-co- 

 iored, or grey ; from whence the proverb, As grey 

 as a badger. The hairs which cover the tail are 

 very long, and of the fame colors with thofe of the 

 body : the throat and under parts of the body are 

 black : the legs and feet of the fame color, are very 

 fhort, ftrong and thick : each foot is divided into 

 five toes-, thofe on the fore feet are armed with long- 

 claws, well adapted for digging ; in walking the 

 bado;er treads on its heel, like the bear : which brines 

 the belly very near the ground. Immediately below 

 the tail, between that and the anus, is a narrow 

 tranfverfe orifice, which opens in a kind of pouch, 

 from whence exudes a white fubftance of a very 

 foetid fmell ^ this feems peculiar to the badger and 

 the Hyaena, 



This animal is not m.entioned by Arijlotk^ not 

 that it was unknown to the ancients, for Pliny 

 takes notice of it *. 



Naturalids once diftinguifl-ied the badger by the 

 name of the fwine-badger, and the dog- badger i 

 from the fuppofcd relemblance of their heads to 



* Alia folertia in metu Mclibus, fufflat^ cutis diilentu iftus 

 hominum et morfus canum arcent. Lib, viii. c. 38. 



G 4 thofe 



