THE BADGER 



" Sir, — Replying to ' Wilfred's ' question, 

 ' Do badgers kill fox cubs ? ' I cannot say 

 they do, because there are no badgers in this 

 district ; but having at different times had 

 young foxes killed in the way he describes, 

 namely, bitten in the head, I can assure 

 him that it is done by an old dog fox. 

 Should he wish for further information, I 

 refer him to Mr. John Douglas, Royal Hotel, 

 Pudding Chare, Newcastle-on-Tyne, who will 

 tell him of the experience he gained when at 

 Clumber, under the Duke of Newcastle." 



" Sir, — I may tell ' Wilfred ' that I have 



never known old badgers kill fox cubs, though 



I have studied the habits of both for nearly 



forty years. No doubt an old vixen, with no 



cubs of her own, killed his ; the dog fox will 



not do this. Indeed, he will cater for all the 



cubs of his own get, but a strange vixen is 



very apt to kill any cubs which have no 



mother of their own. I have known a terrier 



bitch kill a litter of foxhound puppies, and one 



of my Irish terriers will kill puppies if she 



has the chance. As to the ' natural ' litter 



69 



