OTTER AND BADGER 35 



from a front view not unlike that of a cat, with its short, thick whiskers and 

 short ears. The fur consists of two kinds a close, soft coat of greyish yellow, 

 tipped with brown, close to the skin, and, set with it, the longer " external " 

 fur, of a rich dark brown. 



The otter feeds chiefly on fish, but will attack poultry and young lambs ; 

 it also eats the wild water-fowl, such as dabchicks and wild duck, and is fond 

 of frogs. It is said to destroy far more fish than it eats, for the sheer love of 

 killing. But even so, fish are plentiful, and otters rare ; all possible effort 

 should be made to preserve it from extinction. 



Otters breed once a year, the young being born in March or April. They 

 are three or four in number, and are quite blind for a few days, like kittens. 

 The nest, or " holt," is generally in a hole in the river bank, under the roots 

 of a tree. The tame otter's story in the Appendix illustrates the other points 

 cry, method of swimming, etc. of the otter's character. 



The otter does not attack human beings, but can, none the less, inflict 

 a really severe bite when roused, and becomes most pertinacious in returning 

 furiously to the charge, even when kicked off. 



3. The Common Badger (Meles taxus) is the heaviest of all our British car- 

 nivores, as well as of the weasels, to which group it belongs. A full-grown badger 

 weighs between 30 and 40 lb., measures about 2\ feet from nose to root of 

 tail, and stands about I foot high. Notice from the photograph (Plate III.) 

 that it stands on the toes of the fore-feet, but on the whole foot (up to the heel) 

 of the hind-legs. Its coloration is well seen from the same photograph, the 

 remarkable motley of face and head being strikingly like that of the Racoon. 

 The whole back is grey, deepening to black beneath. There is little doubt 

 that the colour is protective to a very remarkable degree ; and one would 

 be glad to think that on this account badgers are supposed to be much rarer 

 than they really are. A badger standing motionless in a hedgerow or amongst 

 bracken is practically invisible, the white patches on the face breaking up the 

 shape so that it appears to mingle with the play of light and shade on the leaves 

 and branches. Unfortunately, however, the badger possesses those scent 

 glands which have made his " stink " proverbial, and though those I have seen 

 in captivity seldom smelt offensive, yet in a wild state the scent is sufficient 

 to betray him to any dog, and often to human smell. Many years ago I saw 

 eight badgers dug out from one set of " earths," and the foetor then was more 

 than proverbial ! That occasion also impressed on me the tremendous power 

 of the badger's jaw, and the fact that, like the otter, the skin is so loose and 

 baggy that the animal can turn in it, when seized, with extraordinary facility. 

 To see, as I did on that day, a labourer at full speed across the fields, yelling 

 for help, with a badger holding on to the loose part of his corduroys but 

 I must refer readers to the story, which belongs to The Young People's 

 Nature Study Book. Suffice it to say that the badger's jaw is so articulated 

 that it cannot be dislocated, and it is capable of crushing bones, roots, and 

 other hard articles of diet. The animal's food consists of everything eatable 



