The Skye Terrier. 309 



That a badger could have lived for several months in 

 Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens was a matter of 

 interest to naturalists, and in due course our old 

 friend Frank Buckland appeared upon the scene, 

 at once settling any difficulty as to where the badger 

 came from. In his letter dated April 28, 1876, 

 he says that no doubt the badger belonged to him. 

 On June 5 the preceding year he obtained three 

 from a friend near Pontefract, father, mother, and 

 cub. They were eventually transferred to the Fish 

 Museum at South Kensington, where Mr. Eden, the 

 curator, turned an old ashpit into a cage for their 

 reception. 



Although it was believed sufficient precaution 

 had been taken to prevent their escape, the male 

 badger got out of his cage the very first night, and 

 was traced to a hole under the passage of the 

 entrance to the Horticultural Gardens, on the Queen's 

 Gate side. Here food was placed for him nightly, 

 but, becoming tired of his residence, he sought fresh 

 apartments, which he no doubt found where Mr. 

 Pratt's excellent terriers first discovered him. Such 

 is the true story of the Hyde Park badger, who was 

 quite a newspaper topic for a time, even Punch 

 giving him attention. 



Shortly after this little episode Mr. Pratt was 

 sent for by the Prince and Princess of Wales to 



