126 LLOYD'S NATURAL HISTORY. 



second edition of Bell's " British Quadrupeds " the Common 

 Badger will be found described as the sole existing British 

 representative of the family Ursida. It is, however, now well 

 ascertained that such resemblances as these animals present to 

 the Bears are for the most part superficial, and that their true 

 affinities are with the Weasel tribe. 



As a genus, the true Badgers, or those included under the 

 head of Meles, may be defined as follows : Upper molar tooth 

 very large and longer than broad, exceeding the flesh-tooth in 

 length ; bony palate not greatly produced backwards ; head 

 pointed, with the nose prominent, and the ears small and 

 rounded ; body thick and heavy ; limbs short and stout ; feet 

 plantigrade ; tail short. Number of teeth 38, of which four on 

 each side of both the upper and lower jaws belong to the pre- 

 molar series. 



The members of the genus are confined to the northern 

 half of the Old World, and do not range into India, although 

 represented in Persia. 



It may be mentioned as a peculiarity of the Badger group in 

 general, although the feature is more developed in some genera 

 than in others, that the lower jaw is so strongly articulated to 

 the skull, by means of overhanging processes from the latter, 

 that it is almost or quite impossible to disarticulate it without 

 fracture. This is the secret of the terrible biting power of 

 these animals. 



THE COMMON BADGER. MELES TAXUS. 



Ursus meks. Linn., Syst. Nat. ed. 12 vol. i. p. 70 (1766). 

 Meles taxus, Boddaert, Elenchus Animal, vol. i. p. 80 (1785); 



Bell, British Quadrupeds 2nd ed. p. 158 (1874). 

 Mcles vularis, Desmarest, Mammalogie p. 173 (1820). 

 (Plate XV.) 



