WEASEL FAMILY 



137 



Food. — Small mammals and occasionally birds, but 

 principally ground squirrels, gophers, prairie dogs and 

 mice. 



Remarks. — The Badger may be easily distinguished 

 from all other members of the family MustcUdac by its 

 large size, grayish color and peculiar depressed appear- 

 ance, due partly to structural arrangement, and partly to 

 the long mantle of hair falling from his sides, which 

 gives him a flattened out appearance. It is a very power- 

 fully built adaptation of nature for digging. But one 

 species of Badger is known, although this species has 

 been subdivided again into four subspecies, only three 

 of which are found in the United States. 



Related Forms 



Common Badger. — Taxidca faxus iaxus. (Schre- 

 ber). Typical animal as described above. Central 

 North America from the Great Lakes to the western 

 slopes of the Rockies, from Texas as far north as 

 latitude 55°. 



Western Badger. — Taxidca taxus ncglccta 

 (Mearns). Smaller, tail longer, color deeper and richer. 

 California. 



Berlandier's Badger. — Taxidca taxus bcrlandicri 

 (Baird). White line on back extending to tail; general 

 color buft'y ; other markings heavier. Texas, New 

 Mexico, Arizona. 



By permission of the New York Zoological Society 



BADGER AT BAY 

 The Badger is inoffensive enough until cornered, when it will fight " like a stack of Wild Cats " 



The Badger has been called a timid animal. 

 It is, rather, a prudent one for it avoids rather 

 than confronts danger. It prefers the safety of 

 its underground retreats to the chance of un- 

 eqtial combat. Certainly, no lack of courage 

 and physical endurance is seen when the crea- 

 ture, captured or cut off from its retreat, is 

 brought to bay. Its pluck is then as conspicuous 

 as its really formidable strength. Because of 

 this well-known fact the cruel sport of " Badger- 

 baiting " was formerly indulged in, in the West : 

 and if the animal were given a barrel or similar 

 retreat in which it was secure from attack in 

 the rear, it proved more than a match for any 



dog. The lighting qualities of the Badger, and 

 the stubborn resistance it offers at whatever odds, 

 have supplied our language with a word of 

 peculiar significance : to " badger " is to harass 

 and worry. 



The stout, thick-set, and depressed shape of 

 the animal is greatly in its favor, combining with 

 the long loose hair to prevent a dog from reach- 

 ing vulnerable parts, and to embarrass it in 

 attempting to take hold ; the snap of the jaws 

 inflicts a serious wound : and, finally, it possesses 

 extreme tenacity of life. 



Dr. J. S. Newberry gives the following evi- 

 dence of the Badger's powers of self-defence: 



