THE BADGER 



no doubt that after dark a considerable 

 number of such journeys may be accom- 

 pHshed. For weeks together, on any morn- 

 ing, you may see the Htter of bracken and 

 grass strewing the way to his home and 

 down the various entrances. 



And now let me again, with all possible 

 respect, put some of our scientific friends 

 right. It is not often that an amateur can; 

 but a man who is not able to tell you every- 

 thing, as these learned men do, about every 

 living creature, may from a country life and 

 experience be able to correct some errors 

 in respect of one animal at least. M. 

 Buffon, the immortal and wonderful natural 

 historian, tells us that the badger is a solitary 

 animal. This is the reverse of truth ; he is 

 less solitary than the fox. He is fond of 

 company ; he is monogamous, and clings 

 closely and faithfully to his own wife. With 

 badgers, as with the human race, the sexes 

 are not precisely equal in numbers, and often, 

 from the force of circumstances, a badger 

 has to remain a celibate, but he is not a 

 bachelor by choice. He may become a 



5^ 



