Ground Vermin The Badger. 335 



animal, possessing a good deal of that nature with which the 

 orthodox British Lion is credited, except when aroused to 

 action by the intrusion of some terrier. This tends to make 

 it in some instances furious and headlong in its attack, whilst 

 on other occasions it acts on the defensive, and will only 

 return blow for blow. When roused it will be found capable 

 of employing to terrible advantage the means of defence 

 with which it is provided, and probably this is what leads 

 to the continual " draws" which take place whenever a 

 badger is captured, for there are not many dogs possessing 

 the strength and pluck necessary to extract, without receiving 

 serious injury, a badger from the tub in which they are 

 generally confined. 



In size, the common badger, or, as it is generally but 

 uncourteously termed, the "stinking brock/' is about that 

 of a middling dog, but stands, comparatively speaking, much 

 lower on the legs, while its body is broader and more 

 extended. The head is pointed and long, approximating in 

 shape rather to that of the polecat, although, of course, 

 much larger, while the nose projects more than is the 

 case with the fitch. The ears are round, set low, and 

 almost concealed by the hair of the face, while the tail is 

 short but full sized. The hide is very remarkable, on 

 account of its extraordinary toughness, being at the same 

 time uncommonly thick. The hair is coarse and uniformly 

 long over the whole of the animal, while the colouring is 

 noticeable, on account of the markings taking the contrary 

 course to the usual one, and appearing lighter on the upper 

 surfaces of the body. This peculiarity of colouring in the 

 badger tribe is one of the many freaks of Nature, and in 



