Feb., 1912. Mammals of Illinois and Wisconsin — Cory. 349 



Description — General color grizzly gray; head brown, with a patch of 

 white below and behind the ears and a white stripe on middle of 

 crown extending from the nose to the nape ; feet and greater portion 

 of legs brownish black, the claws pale, large, often 1.50 inches in 

 length; chin and upper throat dull white, rest of under parts buffy 

 white or yellowish white; tail tinged with yellowish brown. 

 Measurements — Length, about 27 to 29 in. (691 to 741 mm.); tail 

 vertebrae, about 5 in. (125 to 136 mm.); hind foot, 3.85 in. (95 to 

 105 mm.). 



The Badger still occurs in more or less numbers in various localities 

 throughout Wisconsin and occasionally in the northern two-thirds of 

 Illinois. In the early days it was common. Kennicott (1854) gives it 

 as formerly common in Cook County and states that at that time it was 

 still common farther south (/. c, p. 578). Brayton (1882) mentions a 

 Badger taken in Kankakee County, Illinois, in 1857. Wood says: ''It 

 is reported that a specimen was killed a few miles north of Urbana in 

 1908. The dead animal was seen by reliable persons, but I have been 

 unable to verify the identification by seeing the skin" (/. c, p. 574). 

 In 1909 it was reported by hunters to be not uncommon in Jo Daviess 

 and Stephenson counties, Illinois. Kennicott says: "In Illinois badgers 

 were once numerous at least as far south as the middle of the state; 

 and were seen thirty years ago near the Kaskaskia River. They still 

 exist in De Kalb County" {I. c, 1858, p. 250). 



There are numerous records from Wisconsin. I have examined 

 specimens from Rock and Dodge counties and one which was claimed 

 to have been killed near Lake Geneva, Walworth Co., in 1902. Dr. 

 H. V. Ogden of Milwaukee has skulls in his collection from Douglas 

 and Milton counties. Mr. W. E. Snyder has five specimens in his 

 collection taken in Dodge County between 1902 and 1908, and he 

 informs me that at least five others were killed in Dodge County dur- 

 ing the summer of 1902. Hollister records it from Delavan, Walworth 

 Co., in 1908 (/. c, p. 141); and Jackson records 10 specimens cap- 

 tured within a radius of 8 miles of Milton, Rock Co., from 1900 to 

 1902 (/. c, p. 28). I am informed by reliable persons that during the 

 past five years (1906 to 191 1) one or more specimens have been 

 taken in Marinette, Florence, Forest, Marathon, Taylor, Iron, Douglas, 

 Rusk, Polk and Buffalo counties. 



While the Badger was probably common in portions of Illinois and 

 Wisconsin in early days, it was much more so farther west. Dr. 

 Elliott Coues writes: "I have seen Badgers in countless numbers nearly 

 throughout the region of the upper Missouri River and its tributaries. 

 I do not see how they could well be more numerous anywhere. In 



