HUNTING 239 



and you have got him practically exposed at the 

 brink of an earth you can then run at him hard 

 bitten dogs, bull terriers and the like, who go in 

 at him with unlimited courage and no difficulties 

 about searching for their foe in the dark, you 

 will get very bloody encounters. Your dogs will 

 be cut to pieces. The badger will have all the 

 best of it, but he will not have a good time, and 

 I cannot see where the sport comes in. That is 

 badger-baiting, not digging the wild animal from 

 his complicated fortifications, and I never would 

 sanction any such proceedings, nor allow a live 

 badger to be taken away from the Forest, to be 

 used for purposes of that nature. 



It is a mistake ever to use very hard bitten 

 dogs for badger-digging. You do not want to bite 

 the badger, or to get your dog bitten ; you want 

 a dog that will first of all find the badger in 

 his complicated burrow, then to lay up near to 

 him, so as to prevent him digging himself in, 

 baying well all the time so as to guide the 

 hastening spades to the spot far underground. 

 Should the badger turn, and commence digging 

 onwards himself, a really perfect dog is on to him 

 at once, and, with tooth and redoubled bay, puts 

 a stop to all engineering proceedings. But the 

 moment the assaulted badger whips round -under 

 this attack and presents his "business" end, our 



