A RETIRING DISPOSITION 



only for the animal and its young family, but for a thick 

 bed of dry fern for them to lie on. Here the day is spent 

 in sleep, and at nightfall the animals emerge in quest of 

 food, which they sometimes seek in company with others 

 of their kind. 



When a burrow has several openings, as a rule only one, 

 or perhaps two, is used for passing in and out ; the others 

 are "emergency exits," by means of which the inhabitants 

 can escape in case of danger. They also serve to ventilate 

 the dwelling-room, for this much-abused creature is far more 

 sanitary in its habits than most animals which live in burrows, 

 and keeps its home scrupulously clean. Occasionally the den is 

 found in a quite open spot on some stony hillside ; but in any 

 case one that is remote, quiet, and solitary, for the badger 

 loves an uneventful life, and is above all extremely indepen- 

 dent. This animal is very powerful in build, and has strong 

 forepaws with stout claws and webbed toes, which are 

 admirably adapted for digging. It burrows with the greatest 

 ease ; with extraordinary rapidity in a few minutes indeed 

 a badger thirty inches in length can completely bury itself 

 in the ground. As the burrow grows deeper and the accu- 

 mulation of loose earth begins to embarrass the animal in 

 its movements, the hind limbs also come into play and fling 

 the soil backwards with vigorous strokes. After a while, 

 however, owing to the depth of the hole, the animal has to 

 adopt another method of getting rid of all the material he 

 has dug out . to keep the passage clear he finds it necessary 

 to work backwards towards the entrance, sweeping up the 

 rubbish as he goes a simple matter, for a badger can walk, 

 and even trot, backwards almost as well as forwards. 



The badger's is the most extensive of all underground 

 dwellings, and perhaps the one which shows, in some in- 

 stances, the most elaborate provision for the animal's safety. 



40 



