﻿GESTATION 
  OF 
  THE 
  BAD 
  GEE. 
  109 
  

  

  "From 
  this, 
  partially 
  corroborated 
  by 
  subsequent 
  events, 
  do 
  

   I 
  ground 
  my 
  belief 
  in 
  the 
  eight 
  months' 
  gestation. 
  

  

  "A 
  few 
  days 
  before 
  this 
  occurred 
  I 
  had 
  been 
  making 
  some 
  

   interior 
  alterations, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  separate 
  the 
  male 
  from 
  the 
  females, 
  

   and 
  the 
  unusual 
  disturbance 
  probably 
  caused 
  the 
  mishap. 
  

  

  "The 
  spring 
  and 
  summer 
  were 
  again 
  times 
  of 
  special 
  care, 
  

   particularly 
  July 
  ; 
  no 
  successful 
  pairing, 
  but 
  only 
  attempts 
  were 
  

   this 
  time 
  noted, 
  and 
  these 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  mentioned. 
  How- 
  

   ever, 
  on 
  Feb. 
  27th, 
  1900, 
  the 
  young 
  female 
  gave 
  birth 
  to 
  a 
  pair, 
  

   she 
  being 
  on 
  that 
  day 
  three 
  years 
  old. 
  On 
  March 
  8th 
  the 
  old 
  

   female 
  also 
  gave 
  birth 
  to 
  a 
  pair, 
  but 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  was 
  dead. 
  I 
  

   may 
  here 
  say 
  my 
  old 
  female 
  became 
  paralysed 
  shortly 
  after 
  this, 
  

   losing 
  all 
  power 
  in 
  back 
  and 
  hind-quarters 
  ; 
  but 
  otherwise 
  she 
  

   appeared 
  healthy 
  enough, 
  and 
  nursed 
  her 
  young, 
  or, 
  more 
  

   properly 
  speaking, 
  'conjointly' 
  nursed 
  the 
  young. 
  During 
  the 
  

   summer 
  months 
  first 
  one 
  dam 
  and 
  then 
  the 
  other 
  might 
  be 
  seen 
  

   nursing 
  all 
  three 
  cubs 
  together, 
  and 
  no 
  quarrel 
  occurring. 
  This 
  

   was 
  an 
  interesting 
  period, 
  and 
  the 
  docility 
  displayed 
  by 
  the 
  old 
  

   male 
  towards 
  the 
  teazing 
  youngsters 
  was 
  both 
  amusing 
  and 
  

   surprising. 
  

  

  "The 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  female 
  precluded 
  all 
  hope 
  of 
  further 
  

   breeding 
  from 
  her, 
  and 
  my 
  ensuing 
  summer's 
  observations 
  were 
  

   but 
  a 
  repetition 
  of 
  the 
  previous 
  July, 
  but 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  young 
  

   female 
  only. 
  

  

  " 
  Feb. 
  21st, 
  1901, 
  saw 
  another 
  pair 
  of 
  cubs 
  bred 
  from 
  the 
  

   latter, 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  last 
  litter 
  from 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  reared 
  young. 
  

  

  " 
  Brought 
  up 
  in 
  a 
  district 
  where 
  Badgers 
  are 
  pretty 
  numerous, 
  

   I 
  had, 
  before 
  keeping 
  specimens 
  in 
  captivity, 
  questioned 
  myself 
  

   how 
  it 
  could 
  be 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  young 
  should 
  so 
  regularly 
  

   appear 
  every 
  May 
  or 
  June, 
  if 
  the 
  gestation 
  period 
  exceeded 
  

   twelve 
  months. 
  

  

  " 
  Any 
  person 
  first 
  seeing 
  a 
  Badger 
  at 
  birth 
  would 
  naturally 
  

   conclude 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  born 
  much 
  before 
  time. 
  All 
  mine 
  were 
  

   completely 
  nude, 
  and 
  for 
  six 
  weeks 
  blind. 
  I 
  also 
  hold 
  to 
  the 
  

   idea 
  that 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  after 
  birth 
  the 
  whole 
  support 
  they 
  get, 
  

   or 
  seek 
  to 
  receive, 
  lies 
  in 
  the 
  warmth 
  only 
  of 
  the 
  dam. 
  

  

  "Your 
  idea 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  probable 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  cubs 
  whose 
  

   measurements 
  you 
  give 
  in 
  ' 
  The 
  Zoologist,' 
  corresponds 
  with 
  

   my 
  own. 
  Mine 
  were 
  all 
  remarkably 
  slow 
  of 
  growth 
  the 
  first 
  two 
  

   months, 
  but 
  amazingly 
  fast 
  the 
  following 
  three. 
  

  

  