66 GUN, RIFLE, AND HOUND. 



substantial, the great claws will have helped their 

 wielder to his freedom before morning. The amount 

 of digging a badger will get through in a few hours, 

 even in such hard ground as may be found in the 

 foundations of a stable or outhouse, is incredible. 



It is often asked why the badger should, if he is 

 really no foe to the game, be molested at all ? In 

 England the reason is simple enough. If there are 

 badgers about they spoil the fox-hunting. The earth- 

 stopper goes his round towards the small hours, 

 putting together all the earths he knows of. A fox, 

 rather inclined at all times to sleep the day away in 

 the open, never disturbs them, and when the hounds 

 are after him has no time to do so. With the badger 

 it is just the contrary. When he returns home and 

 finds his hole closed, a very few sweeps of his claws 

 lay it open again. The result is that, when the 

 hounds are put into covert, instead of the eagerly- 

 expected " Gone away ! " before the fox has once 

 traversed the wood, it is "Who- whoop! gone to 

 ground ! " and the sport is probably spoilt for the 

 day. 



It is impossible to write of the badger, and 

 badger-hunting, without speaking of his natural enemy, 

 the dachshund. Originally descended from the old 

 German beaver-hound, which was used for bolting 

 that now extinct animal, he has now come to be 

 considered, as his German name imports, the badger- 

 hound. On the Continent of Europe there are few 

 dachshunds that will not go into any earth and face 

 fox, badger, or otter. Unfortunately in England the 



