BADGER. 



281 



the badger is seldom brought into public notice ex- 

 cept in some of those unmeaning and -disgusting 

 exhibitions to which the ignorant and the worthless 

 give the prostituted name of " sports ;" but which, to 

 the credit of the age, are fast becoming as unfashion- 

 able as they are useless and brutalising. 



The AMERICAN BADGER. It was long a matter of 

 doubt among the naturalists of Europe whether the 

 badger was to be found in America ; and after the 

 fact of its existence there was ascertained, it was by 

 some considered either as identical with the common 

 species, or a mere variety of it. But it is now toler- 

 ably well ascertained that the American badger is a 

 distinct species ; and indeed it is probable that none 

 of the land mammalia of the two continents are the 

 same species in both, how much soever they may 

 resemble each other in many parts of their charac- 

 ters. The following account, from Dr. Godman's 

 " American Natural History," is the most circum- 

 stantial which has appeared : " Nature has destined 

 this animal to a subterraneous and solitary mode of 

 life, which, together with its timid disposition and 

 nocturnal habits, throw great difficulties in our way 

 while endeavouring to ascertain its peculiarities. It 

 is entirely inoffensive, and apparently feeble, but, if 

 denied the advantages of swiftness of motion or great 

 size, it has not been left entirely destitute of the 

 means of providing for its own safety. The long 

 claws on its fore-feet are admirably adapted for re- 

 moving the earth, and the celerity with which it can 

 escape from danger by burrowing, is really surprising. 

 It is altogether fruitless to attempt to secure the ani- 

 mal by digging after it, as its progress is too rapid, 

 and the depth to which it descends too great. It is 

 only by artifice that the badger can be brought from 

 its retreat ; this is effected by the aid of dogs, smoke, 

 &c., and when driven to the last extremity, the 

 strength of its jaws and the sharpness of its teeth, 

 enables the animal to inflict the severest injury on 

 its persecutors. The body of the badger is thick 

 and heavy, and its movements on the ground slow 

 and creeping ; there is little appearance of vivacity 

 or intelligence in its aspect, yet it does not exhibit 

 any appearance of dullness or stupidity. It is, in fact, 

 endowed with exactly the degree of understanding, 

 the proper instruments for securing itself from ordi- 

 nary enemies, as well as strength and courage enough 

 to defend itself when pressed, but little sagacity is 

 necessary to enable it to obtain the requisite food, or 

 to continue its kind. Neither should we indulge in 

 reflections similar to those which are found in many 

 books of natural history, and believe that the life of 

 this animal is gloomy and wretched. To men it may 

 appear gloomy or dreadful to live under ground, or to 

 steal forth under cover of the night in search of food ; 

 but this is the only mode of life the badger is suscep- 

 tible of enjoying, and the only kind of action he is 

 capable of. 



" The burrows of the badger are deep and exten- 

 sive, and several individuals have been found inhabit- 

 ing one excavation. Within his subterraneous retreat 

 he passes the day in sleep, and it is not until night 

 veils all objects in shade that he comes forth to seek 

 his subsistence. Then, fruits of different sorts, 

 frogs, insects, and most probably any small animals 

 to be procured, constitute his food. 



" The badger has its young in summer, and gene- 

 rally two, three, or four at a litter, which are occa- 

 sionally brought out to the mouth of the burrow to 



enjoy the sunshine. The young become capable 

 of procreating when two years old, and the period 

 of their lives is extended to ten, twelve, or fifteen 

 years. If taken when young, the badger is easily 

 tamed, soon becoming quite familiar and obedient. 



" The American badger is a pretty little animal, 

 and its aspect is not unlike that of some small dogs. 

 It is found most frequently on the plains adjacent to 

 the Missouri and its tributaries, as well as those near 

 the Columbia river. It is not uniformly found in 

 the open country ; Lewis and Clark sometimes 

 observed them in the woods. 



American Cadger. 



;< This animal is about two feet five inches long, 

 including the tail, which measures three inches, and its 

 body appears long in proportion to its thickness. 



" The fore and hind legs are short, but remarkably 

 muscular, the fore-paws are provided with the long 

 claws peculiar to this genus, which gives them the 

 means of burying themselves with great celerity, 

 even in a hard soil. The neck is short, and the 

 mouth wide ; the eyes are black and small ; the 

 ears short, wide, and appearing as if a portion had 

 been cut off. The whiskers are arranged in four 

 points on each side of the nose and on the jaws 

 close to the opening of the mouth. The hairs are 

 much shorter on the sides and rump than on other 

 parts of the body, which imparts an appearance of 

 flatness, especially when the badger rests upon its 

 belly. The length of the hair is upwards of three 

 inches, especially upon the rump, whence it extends 

 so far towards the extremity of the tail, as to conceal 

 it entirely, and gives to the whole of the posterior 

 parts of the body ' the appearance of a right-angled 

 triangle, of which the tail forms an acute angle.' In- 

 termixed with the hair we find a small quantity of 

 coarse pale-reddish yellow fur. 



" The American badger differs from the European 

 by generally being smaller and more slenderly 

 formed ; its head is full as long, but not so pointed 

 toward the nose ; neither is the profile at all similar 

 to the badger of Europe. In the European animal 

 the outline drawn from the forehead to the nose is 

 quite straight, while in the American there is a 

 considerable depression on a line with the eyes. 



" There is also a very striking difference between 

 the markings of these animals. In the American 

 badger there is a narrow white line running from 

 between the eyes towards the back, the remainder of 

 the head is brown ; the under-jaw and whole of the 

 throat are white. A semi-circular brown spot is seen 

 between the ears and the light-coloured part of the 

 cheeks. Above the eyes the white marking extends 



