BADGER, the name for any member of the Musteline sub family Melinae or the genus Meles (see CARNIVORA). A feature of the genus is the way in which the lower jaw is locked into a long cavity of the cranium, thus enabling the animal to maintain its hold with great tenacity. The common badger (M. taxus) is in. long, with a tail of about 8 in.; in colour it is grey above and black below, with a white head, on either side of which is a black stripe. It is nowhere abundant, but is generally dis tributed over Europe and Asia. Nocturnal in habits, it feeds on roots, fruits, eggs, small quadrupeds and insects. Allied species occur in various parts of Asia. The American badger (Taxidea americana) ranges over most of the United States of America. All these resemble M. taxus in habits. Badger hair is used f or shaving-brushes and trimmings.
The old "sports" of badger-drawing and badger-baiting were prohibited in Great Britain about the middle of the 19th century. "To badger" (i.e., to worry) is a metaphorical derivative, in use since