﻿GESTATION 
  OF 
  THE 
  BADGER. 
  113 
  

  

  evidence 
  shows 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  of 
  all 
  animals 
  the 
  most 
  regular 
  in 
  

   their 
  season 
  for 
  parturition. 
  Out 
  of 
  twenty 
  instances 
  of 
  Badgers 
  

   breeding, 
  in 
  which 
  either 
  the 
  exact 
  date 
  or 
  the 
  approximate 
  date 
  

   to 
  within 
  a 
  very 
  few 
  days 
  is 
  recorded, 
  all 
  are 
  between 
  Feb. 
  10th 
  

   and 
  March 
  21st 
  ; 
  twelve 
  (or 
  thirteen) 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  month, 
  eight 
  

   (or 
  seven)* 
  in 
  February. 
  

  

  No 
  doubt 
  a 
  larger 
  series 
  of 
  cases 
  would 
  somewhat 
  extend 
  these 
  

   limits, 
  but 
  their 
  number 
  seems 
  sufficient 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  any 
  birth 
  

   outside 
  the 
  two 
  months 
  of 
  February 
  and 
  March 
  may 
  be 
  considered 
  

   as 
  exceptional. 
  

  

  Unfortunately 
  in 
  most 
  eases 
  where 
  a 
  remarkably 
  long 
  gesta- 
  

   tion 
  has 
  been 
  recorded, 
  no 
  mention 
  is 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  date 
  when 
  the 
  

   young 
  were 
  born 
  (or 
  when 
  the 
  female 
  was 
  obtained), 
  but 
  as 
  in 
  

   every 
  case 
  where 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  birth 
  is 
  given 
  it 
  is 
  perfectly 
  normal, 
  

   it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  slightest 
  evidence 
  to 
  support 
  

   the 
  common 
  assertion 
  that 
  the 
  female 
  Badger 
  has 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  

   suspending 
  parturition 
  (at 
  least 
  not 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  imagined). 
  But, 
  

   on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  I 
  see 
  no 
  escape 
  from 
  the 
  very 
  curious 
  con- 
  

   clusion, 
  that 
  the 
  pairing 
  may 
  take 
  place 
  at 
  any 
  time 
  during 
  a 
  

   rauge 
  of 
  some 
  ten 
  months, 
  and 
  yet 
  that 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  always 
  

   born 
  within 
  a 
  season 
  limited 
  to 
  about 
  six 
  weeks. 
  In 
  other 
  words, 
  

   it 
  appears 
  that 
  the 
  gestation 
  may 
  amount 
  to 
  anything 
  between 
  

   under 
  five 
  and 
  over 
  fifteen 
  months, 
  and 
  yet 
  that 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  

   all 
  born 
  within 
  some 
  six 
  weeks 
  of 
  each 
  other 
  ; 
  and, 
  moreover, 
  

   that 
  the 
  females 
  which 
  paired 
  earliest 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  necessarily 
  

   whelp 
  earlier 
  during 
  the 
  six 
  weeks' 
  season 
  than 
  others 
  which 
  

   paired 
  several 
  months 
  after 
  them 
  ! 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  probable, 
  however, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  our 
  very 
  slight 
  informa- 
  

   tion 
  goes, 
  that 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  gestation 
  is 
  correlated 
  with 
  a 
  varying 
  

   degree 
  of 
  maturity 
  in 
  the 
  young 
  when 
  born. 
  

  

  A 
  sentence 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Paterson's 
  bearing 
  on 
  this 
  point 
  must 
  be 
  

   here 
  repeated. 
  He 
  writes 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  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." 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  case 
  quoted 
  (above) 
  from 
  ' 
  Land 
  and 
  Water,' 
  the 
  two 
  

   young 
  (both 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  females) 
  were 
  blind 
  for 
  twenty-nine 
  

   days. 
  In 
  the 
  litter 
  bred 
  in 
  my 
  collection 
  in 
  1903 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  

  

  * 
  This 
  allows 
  for 
  Mr. 
  Paterson's 
  case, 
  which 
  was 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  pre- 
  

   mature. 
  

  

  Zool. 
  4th 
  ser. 
  vol. 
  VIII., 
  March, 
  1904. 
  K 
  

  

  