Photo: W. S. Berridge. 



EUROPEAN BADGER 



The Badger or Brock (Meles taxus) is somewhat bear-like in its thick-set body, rounded 

 back, short ears, depressed head, and flat-footed gait. It is over two feet in length, not 

 counting the relatively short tail. It ranges through the northern parts of Europe and Asia, 

 and still holds its own in some parts of Britain. Its survival may be traced in part to its 

 vigour of constitution, to its burrowing and nocturnal habits, to its catholic appetite, and to 

 its instruction of the young. The pair live together in the "earth," which is kept clean, 

 although the repulsive smell does not suggest this. Badgers levy a slight tax on the eggs of 

 game-birds, but they do very little harm, and it is a pity that they should be thoughtlessly 

 eliminated. 





1 



I'holo: Aberdeen L'mversily Museum. 



THE HEDGEHOG 



The Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaus) is an old-fashioned Insectivore, ranging from Ireland to the Ural Mountains. It 

 survives in virtue of its nocturnal habits, its tough constitution, its armour of spines, its power of rolling itself up, and its 

 capacity for hibernation. The spines are transformed stiffened hairs. The staple food consists of earthworms, slugs, and 

 insects both larval and adult ; the back teeth bear mountain-top-like cusps well suited for dealing with this sort of diet. The 

 pointed muzzle is adapted for probing into holes. The four to six young ones, born in a hedgerow nest or at the foot of a 

 hollow tree, are at first very flat, with white soft spines pointing backwards, with a bluish skin, and without the power of rolling 

 up. 



