72 O'er Crag and Torrent 



shy, that it is comparatively little known. 

 It is a somewhat clumsy-looking animal, 

 short-legged, with a tapering muzzle, a short 

 tail, and covered all over with long, bristly 

 hair of a dark grey colour ; the head is 

 white, except a black band on each side, 

 extending nearly from the nose back to the 

 ear, including the eye. The badger, like 

 the bear, is " plantigrade " ; it is a most 

 rapid digger, and is provided with strong 

 curved claws. The food of badgers consists 

 of roots, fruit, small mammals, frogs, beetles, 

 larvae of sorts, and they vary their menu 

 with pheasant, partridge, and other eggs, 

 when they can get them. Hence many 

 keepers whose beats are in a locality fre- 

 quented by badgers consider them vermin, 

 and wage war on them accordingly ; but this 

 is regrettable, as the mischief caused by 

 badgers is really infinitesimal as compared 

 with the destructiveness of winged and 



