CARNIVORA. 
265 
vegetable than animal food; but is observed to prefer 
raw flesh when in a state of captivity. 
The common badger is generally about two feet 
long, and the tail is six inches. It is of a very dark 
gray colour, having black and white hairs more or 
less mixed all over the body; the former of which 
predominate from near the nose along the side of the 
face, round the eyes and ears, and leave a stripe of 
white passing up the middle of the face over the 
forehead. The legs are very short ; and the hair, 
all over the animal, is long. 
The badger is found in most parts of Europe, and 
the neighbouring regions of Asia, and occasionally 
in Canada and the high latitudes of America*. It 
is every where difficult to be met with, inhabiting 
the most secluded parts, and passing much the great- 
est portion of its time in its subterraneous retreat. 
Though gifted with an appetite for flesh, which it 
probably prefers to other aliment, the badger is 
equally capable of subsisting on vegetable food ; and 
by satisfying the cravings of hunger with substances 
of the latter description, it is more enabled to indulge 
the propensity of its nature to an inert and solitary 
mode of living. When attacked, by dogs in par- 
ticular, it will bite severely; and will succeed, ge- 
nerally, for some time in repelling the terriers, which 
are sent into its retreat to draw it out, to the great 
* The carcajou of the Supplement to Buffon’s work, the ursus 
Labradoricus of Gmelin, appears to be a true badger. 
T 
