THE BADGER. 13 



greatly diminished ; for though the Fox is a much larger animal 

 than the rabbit, and needs a rather larger tunnel, it finds that 

 the task of enlarging a ready-made burrow is very much less 

 than if it had to drive a passage through solid ground. Every 

 one who has worked with carpenters' tools knows that a large 

 gimlet passes easily through wood, if it follows the track of 

 a smaller one, and on the same principle, the Fox passes 

 easily through the earth on the track of the rabbit. The 

 burrow of the latter animal is moreover much larger than is 

 absolutely required for its passage, while the former is quite 

 satisfied if he can pass through the tunnel with tolerable rapidity. 

 Sometimes, however, the animal is not fortunate enough to find 

 any ready-made habitation, and in such cases sets determinately 

 to work, and scoops out a burrow on its own account. Herein 

 it lies asleep all day, as is the custom with most predaceous 

 animals, and only sallies forth at night. Herein the mother 

 produces and nurtures her young, and sometimes on a summer's 

 evening, the whole family, the father, mother, and cubs, come out 

 to enjoy the fresh air. They never wander far from the mouth of 

 the burrow, and as the young are gamesome little creatures, as 

 playful as puppies, and much prettier, and the mother helps her 

 young ones in their sports as a good mother ought to do, the 

 group presents a very pretty sight. When young the cubs are 

 certainly not prepossessing, and scarcely any one would take the 

 sprawling grey-coated, broad-muzzled creatures, with their little 

 short pointed tails and stumpy ears, for the young of the Fox, 

 with its ruddy fur, its active limbs, its narrow muzzle, its full 

 bushy tail, and its erect, intelligent-looking ears. 



The Weasels have been said to be great burrowers, but I am 

 inclined to think that very few of them are in the habit ol 

 tunnelling below the ground. 



One of the Weasel tribe is, however, a most powerful and 

 industrious excavator. This is the Badger {Meles iaxus), an 

 animal which was formerly considered as our only surviving 

 British representative of the bear tribe, but is now found to 

 belong to the weasels. 



