10 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



cubs laid up at the time, and left her there. He saw her next 

 day carrying a rabbit to the earth, and she did not seem lame. 

 The Badger, a male, a few days after died, as it appeared, from 

 paralysis of the tongue." 



Thus it is clear that the reported animosity between Badgers 

 and Foxes is erroneous. Wild animals of the same order live, as 

 a rule, in harmony, especially as in this case where neither 

 species prey upon the other. 



The food of the Badger is of a very miscellaneous nature, 

 animal as well as vegetable. Roots of various kinds, the bulbs 

 of the wild hyacinth, earth-nuts, beech-mast, acorns, fungus, 

 blackberries, birds'-eggs, field-slugs, snails, earthworms, beetles, 

 frogs, snakes, field-mice, moles and young rabbits, have all been 

 ascertained to form part of the Badger's " bill of fare." Even 

 the Hedgehog falls a prey to this omnivorous animal, and is 

 easily killed by a Badger, notwithstanding its defensive armour. 



A correspondent writing in ' The Field' of March 23rd, 1872, 

 remarks that " the pitiful wail of a Hedgehog when caught by a 

 Badger is not easily forgotten ; for although he will curl himself 

 up and be torn in pieces by a terrier without a cry, the moment a 

 Badger approaches him he commences the most piteous cries, 

 and death seems long and painful, for the Badger sucks the 

 blood before devouring the body." The same writer adds, that 

 both Snakes and Vipers are killed and eaten by the Badger. 

 He says : — " I have often given Badgers both the black and red 

 adder alive and well, and they are quickly killed in the same way 

 that a good terrier performs on them — seizing hold of them 

 in the middle, and shaking them rapidly, after which you quickly 

 hear the crunch, crunch, of the Badger's jaws." 



The question is sometimes asked whether the Badger is 

 destructive to game. Keepers have been heard to say that they 

 would rather have half a dozen Foxes in a wood than one 

 Badger, for the latter disturbs the place by working about in all 

 directions. But as the pheasants are all at roost by the time 

 the Badger comes out at dusk, and the rabbits are out of the 

 coverts " at feed," there cannot be much harm done, except 

 when the hen-pheasants are sitting, some of which, or their 

 eggs, very likely fall a prey to Badgers as they do to Foxes. 

 Mr. Edward Elmhirst, of Shawell, Rugby, writing under date, 

 24th January, 1880, says : — " On a manor I rented for shooting 



