59 



THE BADGER 



OF the few animals which now inhabit the woods 

 and the hill-sides, perhaps the badger is the least 

 known to the general public. He is nocturnal, in the 

 first place ; and his colouring, being in broken tones, 

 does not readily arrest the eye. His head, chin, and 

 neck are white, with brownish-black bands running 

 on either side from the nose over the eyes and ears. 

 His upper parts are light grey sprinkled with black, 

 the lower parts brownish-black ; his fore-feet are 

 long and stout, his limbs muscular, his jaw powerful, 

 and his teeth sharp ; in fact, he is well set up as far 

 as these formidable weapons are concerned. The 

 usual length of the animal is a little over three feet, 

 but in his family, as well as in the human race, there 

 are large and small individuals. Take his general 

 appearance as he jogs along, and a small bear is at 

 once suggested to your mind. Many of his ways, 

 too, are bear-like ; he will lie up in the winter, and 

 eat vegetable as well as animal food. Some other 



