THE CARNIVORA. 57 



we might well be tempted with the older naturalists to 

 press the relationship of the Badger with the extinct 

 British bear. The heavy gait, short legs, and 

 Badger, ^ a iry body, all lend it at least as much resem- 

 blance to the true bears as that possessed by the so-called 

 bear of Australia. Appearances, however, go for very 



little, and more reliable characters link the badger with 

 the weasels and otter, though the resemblance be exter- 

 nally slight. 



The "brock," or "grey," as it is called in the provinces, 



where the former survives in a number of place-names, is 



often spoken of as on the verge of extinction, a notion 



partly due to its nocturnal and retiring habits. 



scarcity. Were it in the habit of seeking its food by 

 day, so large a beast an old dog-badger may 

 weigh anything up to 40 Ib. could not long escape obser- 

 vation and the persecution that invariably accompanies it, 

 As it is, it suffers a good deal of unnecessary cruelty. 



Perse f ^ Ot man y vears a g5 tne s P ort f baiting the 



badger, otherwise exposing it in a greased 



barrel to the onslaught of rough terriers and mongrels, 



which eventually, and after undergoing much punishment 



