THE BADGER 



slugs or worms. They are carnivorous, and 



eat mice, rats, voles, and moles. They will 



take a rabbit out of a trap, turn it inside out, 



and eat all the meat, leaving the skin behind, 



turned neatly with the fur inside. They are 



also fond of very young rabbits, and will dig 



a shaft through several feet of solid earth 



direct on to the nest. But when this has 



been stated, nearly all has been said with 



regard to their propensity to damage in game 



coverts. I am supported by other observers 



in this opinion; for instance, a recent writer 



in the Field who says : — "In reply to E. T. 



D'Egmont's inquiry about catching badgers, 



I have never found them do much harm to 



the nests of winged game ; but they are 



death on rabbits, and much resemble a fox in 



finding a young one appetizing. Their skins 



would make good waistcoats, but, apart from 



that, I would not destroy them upon any 



property of my own, because they do so 



much more good than harm in divers ways. 



We have a small property in my family, 



where foxes and badgers lie up together in 



close proximity to a rabbit warren, upon the 



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