8 OUTDOOR LIFE IN ENGLAND 



A badger is essentially a nocturnal animal ; he 

 is rarely, if ever, to be seen outside his earth in 

 the daytime. When night comes, and all respect- 

 able people are thinking of going to bed, he rouses 

 himself and shambles off in quest of food. His 

 shape is not conducive to rapid travelling, though 

 it is surprising what a pace he can go when pressed 

 by dogs. Like the rest of his race, he smells 

 horribly ; nevertheless, he is most scrupulously 

 clean in his household arrangements. It is asserted 



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that the odour of a fox is singularly offensive to his 

 nostrils. Now, a badger's earth is just as suitable 

 a dwelling as the heart of a fox can desire, and 

 the latter, knowing full well how detestable his 

 natural aroma is to a badger, is not slow to avail 

 himself of the fact, and so purposely fouls the 

 mouth of the earth, a proceeding which is so 

 intolerable to the cleanly badger, that he holds 

 his nose and makes a bolt of it, whereupon in 

 goes the fox and takes possession of the ' furnished 

 apartments.' I am unable to verify the truth of 

 this statement ; but my belief in the wily craftiness 

 of a fox is very strong, and I believe him to be 

 an animal capable of any dirty trick. Nevertheless, 

 I have, for all that, good reason to love him well. 

 I trust I may have been able to show that there 

 is every reason why we should endeavour to pre- 

 serve, rather than exterminate, our badgers, if only 

 for the good they do and their usefulness in hunt- 

 ing countries. If for no other reason, a badger is 

 the only species of bear which remains to us, and 



