METHODS OF CAPTURE 49 



weather ; but the unmistakable evidence of 

 their footprints shows that they do come forth 

 at no very long intervals. 



Although the badger may sometimes be seen 

 sunning himself just within the mouth of his 

 earth, he seldom or never issues forth until 

 nightfall, when he goes out on his rounds after 

 food, returning before daybreak ; indeed, if he 

 should perchance have somewhat miscalculated 

 his time, he comes shambling and rolling home 

 in a great hurry. One of the means of cap- 

 turing him is by means of a sack pegged inside 

 the mouth of his main entrance during his 

 absence, with a running cord round the mouth 

 of it, secured to a peg. The badger, being 

 found in his rambles and pursued by dogs, 

 rushes in precipitately and finds himself a 

 prisoner. From his cunning he is difficult to 

 catch in ordinary spring traps. 



The usual method of capturing him, at least 

 in the south, is by locating him first in his 

 tunnel by means of terriers, and then digging 

 down until he is reached a work often of 

 much time and toil. If the attention of the 

 badger is not continuously held by the terriers, 

 he will scrape his way into the earth faster than 

 the hunters can dig after him. A full account 

 of this procedure is given by Mr. Pease in the 



