8 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



During the ensuing autumn the following supplementary 

 account was furnished by a relative : — 



" I was on a visit to my brother-in-law in Leicestershire, and 

 on the second evening after my arrival, whilst sitting at the open 

 library window, which opened down to the ground (and to which, 

 of a winter's morning, the Squirrels come quite boldly for nuts put 

 for them every day), watching the sunset, and cooling myself after 

 a good game of lawn tennis, my brother-in-law came on to the 

 lawn with a small basket in his hand, and asked me if I would 

 like to come and see the Badgers fed. Of course I would. So 

 going across the garden, and through a little gate in the iron 

 fence, we stood a few yards from the fence in a thin plantation, on 

 the side of a steep bank overgrown with fern, gorse, and heather. 

 After standing a little on one side, among the bushes, to conceal 

 ourselves, my brother-in-law threw the contents of his basket 

 along the grass path that led to the earth, the main entrance of 

 which we could plainly see, it being only about eight yards from 

 where we were standing. After remaining motionless for about 

 two minutes, I saw the head of a Badger at the mouth of the 

 earth, and after cautiously looking and sniffing around came 

 fully out, and began picking up the food, which consisted of 

 dog biscuits broken up small, and raisins, the latter being most 

 eagerly sought for. Presently another came out, and appeared 

 more courageous than his companion by the way he hunted for 

 raisins in the grass, and by the time they had picked up a few 

 bits they were joined at short intervals by two more, and lastly 

 the two old ones came out and commenced feeding, after assuring 

 themselves that all was safe. It was most curious to watch how, 

 on any unusual sound being heard, they would stop feeding and 

 listen, just like small bears, with head thrown slightly up and 

 ears erect ; and then, as the gamekeeper in the adjoining wood 

 fired his gun at a rabbit sitting outside the cover, the whole lot 

 would shuffle off and tumble into their earth, one over the other, 

 in great haste. But they soon came forth again, looking as 

 though they had been scared without much reason, the young 

 ones to continue their search for raisins, and the old ones, after 

 emerging far enough to reach a bit of biscuit, would sneak back 

 with it into the earth. The young were nearly full grown, and 

 uncommonly pretty they looked with their fine-kept grey coats 

 and curiously-striped faces, all feeding so close together at times 



