WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS 



beaten quite hard; and what is remarkable and worthy of 

 note, they had different small pits dug at a certain distance 

 from their abodes, which were evidently used as receptacles 

 for all offensive filth; every other part of their colony was 

 perfectly clean. 



A solitary badger's hole, which I once had dug out, dur- 

 ing the winter season, presented a curious picture of his 

 domestic and military arrangements — a hard and long job 

 it was for two men to achieve, the passage here and there 

 turned in a sharp angle round some projecting corners of 

 rock, which he evidently makes use of when attacked, as 

 points of defence, making a stand at any of these angles, 

 where a dog could not scratch to enlarge the aperture, and 

 fighting from behind his stone buttress. After tracing out a 

 long winding passage, the workmen came to two branches 

 in the hole, each leading to good-sized chambers: in one of 

 these was stored a considerable quantity of dried grass, 

 rolled up into balls as large as a man's fist, and evidently 

 intended for food; in the other chamber there was a bed of 

 soft dry grass and leaves — the sole inhabitant was a pecul- 

 iarly large old dog-badger. 



Besides coarse grasses, their food consists of various 

 roots; amongst others, I have frequently found about their 

 hole the bulb of the common wild blue hyacinth. Fruit of 

 all kinds and esculent vegetables form his repast, and I fear 

 that he must plead guilty to devouring any small animal 

 that may come in his way, alive or dead; though, not being 

 adapted for the chace, or even for any very skilful strategy 

 of war, I do not suppose that he can do much in catching 

 an unwounded bird or beast. Eggs are his delight, and a 



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