AMERICAN BADGER. 365 



places which we supposed were the remains of their holes, but which 

 were at that time abandoned. We were informed that these animals 

 had burrows six or seven feet deep running beneath the ground at that 

 depth to the distance of more than thirty feet. The Indians speak of 

 their flesh as being good ; that of the one of which we have been speak- 

 ing, when the animal was killed, looked very white and fat, but we 

 omitted to taste it. 



Before taking leave of this individual we may remark that the change 

 of coat during winter from a hairy or furry texture to a woolly cover- 

 ing, is to be observed in the Rocky-mountain sheep, {Ocis montana) 

 and in other animals exposed in that season to intense cold. Thus the 

 skin of Ovis montana, when obtained pending the change from winter to 

 summer pelage, ^^ill have the outside hairs grown out bej-ond the ^vool 

 that has retained the necessary warmth in the animal during the cold 

 weather. The wool begins to drop out in early spring, leaving in its 

 place a coat of hair resembling that of the elk or common deer, thus 

 giving as a peculiarity of certain species, a change of pelage, quite differ- 

 ent in character from the ordinary thickening of the coat or hair, common 

 to all furred animals in winter, and observed by every one, — for instance, 

 in the horse, the co^v, &c., which shed their winter coats in the spring. 



We had an opportunity in Charleston of observing almost daily for a 

 fortnight, the habits of a Badger in a menagerie ; he was rather gentle, 

 and would suffer himself to be played with and fondled with impunity 

 by his keeper, but did not appear as well pleased with strangers ; he 

 occasionally growled at us, and would not suffer us to examine him with- 

 out the presence and aid of his keeper. 



In running, his fore-feet crossed each other, and his body nearly touch- 

 ed the ground. The heel did not press on the earth like that of the bear, 

 but was only slightly elevated above it. He resembled the Marjdand 

 marmot in running, and progressed ■with about the same speed. We 

 have never seen any animal that could exceed him in digging. He 

 w^ould fall to work with his strong feet and long nails, and in a minute 

 bury himself in the earth, and would verjf soon advance to the end of a 

 chain ten feet in length. In digging, the hind, as well as the fore-feet, 

 ■were at w^ork, the latter for the purpose of excavating, and the former, 

 (like paddles.) for expelling the earth out of the hole, and nothing seemed 

 to delight him more than burrowing in the ground ; he seemed never to 

 become weary of this kind of amusement ; when he had advanced to the 

 length of his chain he would return and commence a fresh gallery near 

 the mouth of the first hole, thus he would be occupied for hours, and it 

 was necessary to drag him away by main force. He lived on good terms 



