272 CLASS MAMMALIA. 



Its colours are remarkable in their distribution. The 

 head is of a slightly reddish white, divided on each side of 

 the muzzle by a black band, which originates on the upper 

 lip, takes in the eye, and terminates at the ear. The white 

 of the head extends over the sides of the neck and termi- 

 nates on the anterior half of the lower jaw. The top and 

 sides of the body are of a dirty gray, which grows paler 

 towards the flanks. But this colour is not uniformly spread. 

 The black and white which compose it are disposed in 

 spots or rather in confused and irregular masses. The 

 throat, the under part of the chest, the belly, legs, and feet 

 are of a deep black brown. The posterior part of the ab- 

 domen is of a reddish white, and the tail of a whitish gray. 

 The ear is black, bordered with white above ; and all the 

 naked parts are of a tan -colour more or less deep. 



On the parts whose colours are uniform, the hairs have 

 but a single tint. On the gray parts the silken hairs are 

 generally white with a black ring in the middle, and the 

 woolly hairs white with a yellowish point. 



The usual length of the Badger is about two feet and a 

 half, and the tail six or seven inches. 



The Badgers pass a great part of their time under ground 

 in burrows which they dig with much dexterity. Two 

 young Badgers were seen at their work by M. F. Cuvier ; 

 they were caught in the burrow of their mother, and 

 placed in a fenced yard. They soon unpaved it, and made 

 a burrow, where they passed an entire year, never quitting 

 it, except by night, to take the food which was placed 

 within their reach. From this, they were transferred into 

 a moat, surrounded with walls, in the middle of which was 

 a large mound of earth. These animals first sought all 

 round the walls for a place in which they could dig. Having 

 discovered an empty space between two stones, the upper 

 of which was projecting, they tried to increase it ; but as 

 it was rather elevated, and they were obliged to stand on 



