8o THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM 



the "earth," it must be an engaging sight to watch the family party 

 during the silent watches of the night, as secrets such as those 

 revealed in the home life of the Badger are rarely told. The senses 

 of smell and hearing are very acute, and he must be a lucky stalker 

 who, without exerting much strategy, would successfully make 

 acquaintance with Brock and its bairns above ground. I have heard 

 with disgust a good deal about Badger-baiting at fairs and else- 

 where, but it is pleasant to reflect that this so-called "sport" has 

 almost died out in rural England. In a few districts even to-day 

 Dogs are turned upon a Badger after the latter has been cowardly 

 dug out of its natural hiding-place so as "to give the Dogs a 

 chance." I have no sympathy whatever with this detestable practice, 

 and when I was recently informed of some Terrier Dogs being 

 badly mauled by a Badger as a result of their being set upon it 

 by people of high position who could surely have found something 

 better to occupy their time, I must candidly confess that whilst I 

 felt sympathetically disposed towards both Brock and the Dogs, my 

 feelings with regard to the human beings who engaged them in 

 battle may be better imagined than described. 



Brock was eventually battered to death with spades and forks, 

 and the brutes who took such a delight in unfairly attacking an 

 innocent and inoffensive animal would, if I had my way, be made to 

 undergo a heavy penalty for perpetrating an outrage which cannot 

 be tolerated to-day. 



SAND BADGER.— The Sand Badger (Fig. 64) belongs to a 

 different genus from the species recently under review, and is placed 

 by Zoologists as the last representative of the Weasel family. It is 

 an inhabitant of India, being found in the Eastern Himalayas 

 "through Assam and the neighbouring regions to Tenasserim and 

 Lower Burma." 



Whilst the shortness of the tail of the Common Badger has 

 already been mentioned as a salient feature of that species, it is the 

 length of tail possessed by the present animal that is worthy of note. 

 This appendage measures from a quarter to a third the length of 

 the head and body. 



The soles of the feet are naked, and only a portion of these is 

 put on to the ground when the beast is walking, so that the Sand 

 Badgers "may be described as digitigrade rather than plantigrade 

 when in motion." 



The Indian Sand Badger is mostly dirty grey in colour all over, 



