132 The Fox Terrier. 



the terrier has got up to the badger, and you can hear he is 

 keeping him well engaged, to commence digging and let 

 down a shaft over the spot. I have often seen this done 

 to a nicety, and on clearing carefully the last portion of the 

 soil, found the heads of both badger and terrier in view jaw 

 to jaw. Then if you have confidence in your dog lean over, 

 with one hand obtain a firm hold of the neck of the badger, 

 pass the other hand on to the scut, and let your friend pull 

 you badger and all on to the level. Then, disengaging 

 the terrier, pop the " grey back " into a sack. If there be 

 any doubt as to the terrier maintaining his hold, tongs had 

 better be used to save your hands from ' teeth that bite and 

 claws that scratch.' 



" I have known a single terrier, Lancer, a winner of 

 several prizes a quarter of a century or so back, a son of 

 Old Dame, said to be a daughter of Jock, drive a badger 

 out of a drain made for foxes, more than once. On one 

 occasion we had no knowledge that a ' grey back ' was at 

 home, and merely put Lancer in to see if a fox was there, 

 and were without any appliances. On hearing that a battle 

 royal was being waged we sent for a sack and the 'tongs/ 

 and these arrived in the nick of time, for the badger 

 retreated, his face towards Lancer, his stern towards us. 

 When he was within reach I embraced the opportunity, and 

 the game was soon out in the open, but not until my 

 strength was nearly exhausted at holding him (' well off 

 you, at arm's length, mind ! '), a struggling, twisting brute, 

 did the sack arrive. He managed to give my groom a 

 snip through the thumb during the operation of bagging. 



" An old disused mine shaft is often a favourite haunt of 

 badgers. I remember trying a very large shaft with Remus, 

 another well-known terrier, Tyrant's son Sam, the above- 



