THE BADGER 



attempting to catch badgers in traps is about 

 as feasible as trying to catch birds by putting 

 salt on their tails. Driving them into sacks 

 fixed in the earth is unsatisfactory, as a good 

 game dog is necessary to press the badger 

 hard, or he will turn from the earth and seek 

 shelter elsewhere ; while, if you have a good 

 dog, the sacks are unnecessary except for the 

 reception of the badger when caught by the 

 dog. 



" The paraphernalia of the chase are 

 simple, namely, a good dog, a pair of badger- 

 tongs, and a sack. A really good dog is 

 very difficult to obtain ; the favourite kind is 

 a cross-bred bull-terrier, about forty pounds 

 in weight; pure-bred bull-terriers, for some 

 reason or other, do not seem to give satis- 

 faction. The ( tongs ' have wooden handles, 

 and iron heads with blunt teeth for grasping 

 the badger when held by the dog. For a 

 successful hunt it is necessary to observe 

 which way the badger travels from the 

 earth. A favourite spot is the slope of a hill, 

 or high-lying fields, where they may be easily 

 tracked by the ' roots,' i. e. small holes 



81 G 



