Badgers and Otters. 35 



and curious, all made out of the carver's brain." 

 Lying around this had been an extensive orchard, 

 the rich, though old trees of which remained. 

 And now, in this glorious summer-time, the 

 golden fruit fell unheeded to the ground. For 

 Hazelhurst was long distant from town or near- 

 est village. Brambles held their luscious fruit, 

 and every species of ground berry grew there. 

 No wonder it was a paradise to mice and 

 squirrels and birds. They revelled in nature's 

 ample provision, and were undisturbed. 



Here, in the days of our immediate ancestors, 

 Badgers were plentiful. Now, where a ridge 

 of rock ran through the wood, there was a hole, 

 the entrance to a somewhat spacious cavity. 

 This could be seen for the seeking, not other- 

 wise. Brambles and ground-ivy protected it. 

 Black bryony and woodbine twisted up every 

 available stem, and a knot of blackthorn grew 

 over all. The spot was protected and dense. 

 One day we invaded it, but after long crawling 

 and sticking fast had to return. In it lived the 

 badgers had done so time out of mind, and the 

 few poachers who knew it called it " Brock- 

 holes." " Brock " is the old north-country 

 word for badger, and, as we have said, every- 

 thing testified to its presence. In this wild 

 fruit paradise at least two pairs of badgers bred. 

 Each pair had more than one apartment at 

 least the young were not produced in that which 



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