The Badger 



the first and last Badger that taxidermist had seen in 

 his locality during all the years named. He had 

 been acquainted with the life of the fields for almost 

 half a century, and this was the only example of the 

 Meles taxus he had ever known as an indigenous 

 animal of his neighbourhood. 



Here and there, landowners have tried to reintro- 

 duce the Badger, and no doubt exists that were such 

 attempts to be regarded favourably, the animal would 

 establish itself in the shires. But against such laudable 

 desires on the part of Nature-lovers the commercial 

 spirit is arrayed. It is very evident that the disappear- 

 ance of the Badger from our more northern woods can 

 be traced to the demand for this animal's hide as an 

 article of dress. The Highland costume embraces 

 what is called a "sporran" ; and a sporran fashioned from 

 the hide of a Badger was, and is still, a valued 

 ornament of the Highland dress. On the other 

 hand, Badger-baiting was in former years looked upon 

 as one of the best of sports, both by the noble and the 

 peasant. Like cock-fighting, it was at one time con- 

 sidered " the sport of Kings," but for many years it has 

 happily fallen into disfavour. Still, while this brutal 

 form of sport existed in our land, it did much to 

 exterminate the Badger, if it did not actually erase 

 the animal's name from many districts. From these 

 and other causes, the Badger may now be written 

 down as a rare animal in many counties where it 

 formerly had its " earth." 



39 



