148 BRITISH MAMMALS 



corruptions and changes from a Low Latin name (bladius] for 

 wheat, which also gave rise to the French ble. In France, 

 curiously enough, the badger is called blaireau, which might also 

 be connected with wheat in its origin. As, however, it was 

 customary at one period during the badger's persecutions in 

 England to push great sacks up the badger's earth at night-time, 

 when the animal was out foraging, and then catch it when it had 

 bolted into the sack in the early morning, big badgers that were 

 caught may have been called " baggers." In any case, the 

 present name in use arose as a local slang word in Southern 

 England during the fifteenth century, and was sometimes written 

 bageard. Getting into the literary dialect of London, it gradually 

 replaced the ancient name of " brock," except in country dialects. 

 Considering what relatively small harm the badger did to 

 man's possessions, it is curious what a long persecution this 

 interesting animal has suffered, not only in England, the land 

 par excellence where man has been cruel to other animals, but 

 also in Germany. Special breeds of dogs (such as the dachshund) 

 were trained for digging out the badger, and in parts of Germany, 

 when the situation of a badger's burrow was located, an instru- 

 ment like a huge corkscrew was driven down from the soil 

 above till it either transfixed the badger or drove him out of 

 his hole. Badger-baiting in England has given a metaphorical 

 expression to the language. On some properties now badgers 

 are strictly protected, and the protection ought to be made 

 universal in the law of the land, quite as much as in the case 

 of interesting wild birds. 1 



SUB-FAMILY: MUSTELINE. THE] WEASELS 



The toes in this group are short, and are united for part of 

 their length by a web of skin. They are armed with short, 



1 An interesting letter on " Badgers," by W. T. Dymond, published in the 

 Globe of May 29th, 1903, shows that at one time in Cornwall "ardent all- 

 round sportsmen " thought little of killing " two hundred " badgers in the 

 course of a few years, for no earthly reason but the unreasoning love of 

 destruction which classes us as a race on a level with the worst type of negro. 



