6 OUTDOOR LIFE IN ENGLAND 



out of fashion. It seems incredible that the mere 

 bullying of any living creature could ever have 

 afforded amusement to any but those whose minds 

 were too brutalized to perceive that there could be 

 any cruelty in such * sport.' The mind of the true 

 sportsman recoils from such performances. In 

 this respect the present generation are superior to 

 their forefathers, who were ignorant and degraded 

 enough to extract pleasure from encouraging 

 animals to fight with each other, 'cock-fighting,' 

 'badger-baiting,' 'bull-baiting,' and 'dog-fight- 

 ing ' constituting some of the chief pleasures 

 of the English country squire. In these more 

 enlightened and humane days we feel almost 

 tempted to doubt that such things could ever 

 have been, still more so that the term ' sport ' 

 should have been so degraded. It is most sincerely 

 to be hoped that such * pastimes ' may never be 

 resuscitated. The poor badger led a sorry life 

 then, and it is quite time he was left alone in 

 peace. So far from doing harm, he is a most 

 useful and peaceable creature, though he is 

 credited with all kinds of malpractices He may 

 dig a few holes, but he is otherwise sinless. He 

 generally elects to make his home in wild, out-of- 

 the-way places, and so his excavations and interest- 

 ing underground passages are matters of but 

 slight consequence. He lives principally on roots, 

 worms, snails, and such-like. His enemies accuse 

 him of killing rabbits and game generally. The 

 latter is a most unfair and calumnious charge, for 



