THE BADGER 



her. My brother got a dog, Roger, a dead 

 game one, at the same time from the same 

 man, and nearly all the terriers I have had 

 since are descended from these two, with 

 out-crosses from local strains, including the 

 Rev. Jack Russell's blood. I have seen 

 smooth-coated terriers do equally well, but 

 not often. The former is a harder and more 

 enduring breed, though more difficult to keep 

 clean in the coat, and taking time to get 

 dry after wet in cold weather. The endur- 

 ance of the wire-haired is remarkable. I 

 have now a terrier, bred through many lines 

 of my old favourites, which is twelve years 

 old. His jolly face is scored with the marks 

 of a thousand fights with fox and badger, 

 and though lame in his shoulders, his eyes 

 dim with age, and crippled with rheumatism, 

 showing toothless gums when he smiles his 

 welcome, he has twice this summer found 

 alone the badger earths, and returned at 

 evening, each time with his score of marks 

 increased, and on the last occasion he left 

 one of his ears behind him ! ^ A terrier that 



^ Dead since this was written. 

 io6 



