BADGERS AND THEIR WAYS 



harm done in keeping the animals down in this way. 

 There are, however, few parts of England where badgers 

 are ever sufficiently numerous to warrant the pursuit 

 of them in this manner. The Axe Vale, by the way, 

 during a fortnight's hunting in the spring of 1902, 

 killed seven old badgers and ran other two to ground, 

 so that their country must have been well stocked with 

 these animals. Country people and dog fanciers have 

 rather a senseless predilection for digging out badgers 

 and killing them. This is, probably, a relic of the 

 barbarous ''badgering" craze of our rude ancestors. 

 There is little of sport or pleasure in the business. 

 The badger is much worried, but seldom killed fairly 

 by the dogs employed. He is usually slain by a blow 

 with a heavy bludgeon, and his remains go to decorate 

 — or otherwise — the bar-parlour of a publican, or per- 

 haps the shop of some sporting hairdresser. Surely 

 our British badger deserves a better fate than this. 

 Why not leave him alone — he harms no man — and let 

 him inhabit his quiet countryside in peace? 



Badgers belong to the great weasel tribe {Mustelidce)^ 

 and are not at all closely allied, as some people seem 

 to suppose, to the bears. Among their more or less 

 distinguished relatives may be named the wolverene, 

 the otters, skunks, ratels, martens, polecats, and 

 weasels. Various races are found in different parts 

 of the world, including the sand-badgers of the East, 

 natives of India, the Malay Peninsula, Java, Sumatra, 

 and Borneo. The true badgers {Meles) are found in 

 Europe, Asia, northward of the Himalayas, Persia, and 

 Japan. In Africa and India are to be met with the 

 curious ratels, a remarkable branch of the family, 

 distinguished by their extraordinary fondness for 

 honey. To obtain this luxury they spend most of 

 their time, when not in their earths, in hunting for 



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