THE BADGER 



with the man who sits over a badger earth. 

 But he at least can protect himself to some 

 extent against the exasperating attacks of 

 midges in myriads, and vent his feelings 

 aloud, and flog the waters, whilst the latter 

 must stoically endure the torture and the 

 plague. The most he can do is occasionally 

 to draw his hand from his pocket, and slowly 

 move it to his face and massacre the settlers 

 on his nose, his ears, his neck, and carefully 

 move it again into its hiding-place. In spite 

 of the torment, however, he may enjoy the 

 sights and sounds, known to but few, that 

 these witching hours alone can give. The 

 rabbits emerge within a yard of him, first the 

 little ones, unconscious of his eye, then the 

 old ones sit up and, imitating his immov- 

 ability, watch him critically with their black 

 beady eyes set, and noses palpitating ; after 

 a while old paterfamilias gives his signal of 

 alarm or warning by a sharp pat, pat with 

 his hind foot, telling all round that there is 

 something in his vicinity he does not know 

 how to account for. The cry of the startled 

 blackbird warns that some other enemy is 



5 



