98 ON SURREY HILLS. 



his ground. Nor did I warn him that his pullets 

 might fare badly if one of them happened to stray 

 near the badger's quarters when he was hungry. In 

 my pursuit of natural history studies, I have found 

 it often best not to enter into any subject too min- 

 utely with the unlearned. One is apt to be the loser 

 by so doing. " Live and let live " is my motto. 



After interviewing the badger I inspected his 

 home : it was a very pleasant and secure one, under 

 the roots of a clump of iirs, on a sandy knoll, within 

 one minute's walk of our friend's back-door. The 

 children had noticed it first, and told their father 

 about a little strange pig they had run after. This 

 proves that it is only when driven by persecution 

 that wild creatures fear man. 



Polecats, stoats, and weasels are now anything but 

 common among us. They do certainly exist in 

 remote spots, but not in the numbers I can remember 

 they did years ago. The capture or killing of the 

 largest member of the tribe — the marten excepted — 

 is a very rare circumstance now. If the present 

 exportation of stoats and weasels to the colonies 

 continues — 7s. 6d. and Ss. are offered for each live 

 ^specimen — for the purpose of exterminating the 



