THE BADGKR. 



THE BADGER. 



ALTHOUGH Nature has furnished this animal with 

 formidable weapons of offence, and has besides given it 

 strength sufficient to use them with great effect, it is 

 notwithstanding very harmless and inoffensive ; and, 

 unless attacked, employs them only for its support. 



The badger retires to the most secret recesses, where it 

 digs its hole, and forms its habitation under ground. Its 

 food consists chiefly of roots, fruits, grass, insects, and 

 frogs. It is charged with destroying lambs and rabbits, 

 but there seems to be no other reason to consider it as a 

 beast of prey, than the analogy between its teeth and 

 those of carnivorous animals. 



Few creatures defend themselves better, or bite with 

 greater keenness than the Badger. On this account it is 

 frequently baited with dogs trained for that purpose. 

 This inhuman diversion is chiefly confined to the idle and 

 the vicious, who take a cruel pleasure in seeing this 

 harmless animal surrounded by its enemies, and defending 

 itself from their attacks, which he does with astonishing 

 agility and success. Its motions are so quick, that a 

 dog is frequently desperately wounded in the first moment 

 of assault, and obliged to fly. The thickness of the 

 Badger's skin, and the length and coarseness of its hair, 

 are an excellent defence against the bites of the dogs : its 

 skin is so loose, as to resist the impressions of their teeth, 

 and give the animal an opportunity of turning itself round, 

 and wounding its adversaries in their tenderest parts. In 

 this manner this singular creature is able to resist repeated 

 attacks both of men and dogs from all quarters ; till, 

 being overpowered with numbers, and enfeebled by many 

 desperate wounds, it is at last obliged to submit. The 

 Badger is an indolent animal, and sleeps much. It confines 

 itself to a hole during the whole day, and feeds only in 

 the night. It is not known to exist in warm countries. 

 It is an original native of the temperate climates of 

 Europe 5 and is found, without any variety, in Spain, 

 France, Italy, Germany, Britain, Poland, and Sweden. 



The usual length of the Badger is somewhat above two 

 feet, exclusive of the tail, which is about six inches long } 

 its eyes are small, and are placed in a black stripe, which 

 begins behind the ears, and runs tapering towards the 



