THE BADGER 



an animal in confinement, even though he be 

 but the scapegoat for a thousand of his kind, 

 is so repugnant to humanity, and so Hkely to 

 breed cruelty, that though I lament his im- 

 minent extinction I would say, "perish Meles 

 taxits " rather than let him pay this price for 

 the continuance of his race, and, whatever 

 view he might have himself, I would refuse 

 him the option. 



The badger has made a wonderful struggle 

 for existence, and may linger on for many 

 years yet in the more secluded corners of 

 England and Wales (in Scotland he is almost 

 extinct), but he owes all to his own mys- 

 terious silent ways, and nothing to man's 

 mercy in the matter. The intelligent and 

 unprejudiced wearers of velveteen, who, with 

 the tacit consent of their masters, have by 

 means of the steel trap, flag-trap, and gun, 

 exterminated and banished for ever the most 

 interesting of our animals and the most 

 beautiful of our birds, have hitherto failed in 

 their ruthless attempt to rid earth and heaven 

 of everything but furred and feathered game, 

 so far as the badger is concerned. In many 



17 c 



