138 



MAMMALS OF AMERICA 



"In traversing the arid surfaces of the sage 

 plains of eastern Cahfornia, Utah and Oregon, 

 there is, perhaps, no one thing which the traveler 

 mav be more sure of seeing every day of his 

 journey than the burrow of a Badger ; and, after 

 cursing tlie country, and the folly which led him 

 to cross these barren, hot and dusty surfaces, 

 there is nothing he will more certainly do, 

 whether on foot or mounted, than tumble into 

 one of these same Badger holes. And yet the 

 chances are more than equal that he never sees 

 a living Badger on which to revenge himself; 

 for the Badger is a shy and timid animal, and 

 the country he inhabits is so open, it rarely hap- 

 pens that he is surprised at a distance from his 

 burrow. During our march of several hundred 

 miles through the country inhabited by the 

 Badger this did occur, however, on one or two 

 occasions, and gave rise to some ludicrous scenes. 

 The Badger, though far from formidable, is too 

 well provided with teeth to be handled without 

 gloves ; and knowing that his only safety when 

 attacked is in plunging to the bottom of his bur- 

 row, his pig-headed pertinacity in endeavoring 

 to reach it is such, that an unarmed man finds 

 it difficult to stop him. 



"Mr. Anderson, who gave me most efficient 

 aid in collecting, came one day suddenly upon a 

 Badger at some distance from his hole ; of 

 course, he made for it with all possible speed, 

 which, it should be said, is not so great but that 

 a man could easily overtake one. Mr. Anderson 

 at first endeavored to tram]ile him under his 

 horses's feet, but, though he ran over him several 

 times, the Badger avoided the hoofs and received 

 no injury. .\s we had not obtained a specimen, 

 he was particularly anxious to secure this one, 

 so he drove his horse before him, and brought 

 him to bay. He then jumped off, hoping by 

 means of kicks and his sheath knife, to dis- 

 patch him ; Inu the Badger, instead of retreat- 

 ing, came at him open-mouthed, and with such 

 a show of ferocity that he was fain to let him 

 pass, trusting to find a club to kill him ; but in 

 this region clubs do not ' grow on every bush,' 

 for most of the bushes are sage bushes, and be- 

 fore he found any sort of stick the Badger had 

 reached his hole." 



Sir John Richardson narrates an incident 

 which further illustrates the prowess of this stub- 

 born, sullen customer. " The strength of its fore- 

 feet and claws is so great," says he, " that one 

 which had insinuated only its head and shoulders 

 into a hole, resisted the utmost endeavors of two 

 stout young men who endeavored to drag it out 

 by the hind legs and tail, until one of them 



fired the contents of his fowling-piece into its 

 body." This is quite a match for the stories told 

 of the Armadillo itself. " Early in the spring, 

 however," the author continues, " when they first 

 begin to stir abroad, they may easily be caught 

 by pouring water into their holes ; for the ground 

 being frozen at that period, the water does not 

 escape through the sand, but soon fills the hole, 

 and its tenant is obliged to come out." 



The author of the " Complete American Trap- 

 per " also refers to this method of taking Bad- 

 gers, and adds others : " Although his general 

 appearance will not indicate it, he is a sly and 

 cunning animal and not easily captured in a trap 

 of any kind. He has been known to set at defiance 

 all the traps that were set for him, and to devour 

 the baits without sutTering from his audacity. 

 He will sometimes overturn a trap and spring it 

 from the under side before attempting to remove 

 the bait. Although not quite as crafty as the 

 Fox, it is necessary to use much of the same 

 caution in trapping the Badger, as a bare trap 

 seldom wins more than a look of contempt from 

 the war}- animal." 



" The Badger," adds Coues, " above all other 

 animals is notable for its flatness ; even when 

 runnings it looks broad and flat, and the belly 

 seems to sweep the ground during its rather low, 

 heavy, and awkward progress. Seen when 

 crouching in fancied security or hoping to escape 

 observation (and it will sometimes remain long 

 motionless in this posture, permitting near 

 approach), the animal might easily be mistaken 

 for a stone or clod of earth : the very hairs lie 

 flat, as if parted in the middle, and form a fringe 

 along either side, projecting like the shell of a 

 turtle or the eaves of a house." 



The ordinary Badger may be found from Brit- 

 ish North America, from latitude 55°, down 

 through the greater portion of the United States. 



In habits it closely resembles the European 

 species, being strictly nocturnal, and living in 

 burrows constructed by itself. In the colder 

 portion of its habitat it hibernates. Although 

 but very seldom seen, these animals live in count- 

 less numbers in the region of the Upper Mis- 

 souri river and its tributaries ; tracts of sandy 

 soil being so full of their burrows as to render 

 traveling on horseback dangerous. These Bad- 

 ger holes can be distinguished from those of the 

 Prairie Dog by their larger size and the absence 

 of a circular mound of earth at their entrance ; 

 though many such holes are merely burrows of 

 the Prairie Dog, which have been enlarged by 

 the Badger in order to capture the original 

 owner. 



