HABITS OF THE BADGER. 285 



the sand, but soon tills the hole, and its tenant is obliged to 

 come out." 



The author of the " Complete American Trapper " also refers 

 to this method of taking Badgers, and adds others : — "Although 

 his general appearance would 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 withoul suffering 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 cral'ty 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 wary 

 animal. The usual mode of catching the creature is to set the 

 trap, size No. 3 [the so-called fox-trap, with springs at each 

 end], at the mouth of its burrow, carefully covering it with 

 loose earth and securing it by a chain to a stake. Any of the 

 methods used in trapping the fox will be found to work ad- 

 mirably. The dead-fall or garrote will also do good service. 

 Bait with a rat, mouse, or with whatever else the animal is 

 si)ecially fond, and scent with oil of anise or musk. In early 

 spring, while the ground is still hard, badgers are easily cap- 

 tured by flooding." 



The reproduction of the species does not appear to be full}' 

 known. I have no personal information on this score, beyond 

 the fact that I once secured a still ungrown animal in Colorado 

 during the latter part of August. The writer last quoted says 

 that the nest is made in the burrow (as indeed is unquestion- 

 able), and that the young are three or four in number. Eich- 

 ardson, referring to the hibernation of the Badger in British 

 America from November to April, states that, like Bears, the 

 animals do not seem to lose much flesh during the winter, for 

 they are observed to be very fat when they come abroad in the 

 spring; and adds that, as they pair at once, they soon become 

 lean. The periods of gestation and lactation are probably un- 

 known. 



The habits and manners of the Badger in confinement, to 

 which we will next turn attention, have been attentively studied 

 by Audubon and Bachman, who have given an interesting ac- 

 count, here transcribed in full: — 



" During our stay at Fort Union, on the Upper Missouri Eiver, 

 in the summer of 1843, we purchased a living Badger from a 



