BADGER, a stout, burrowing., carnivorons mammal of the fur-bearing sub-family Melina in the family Mustelidie, related to the skunks and weasels, species of which inhabit various parts of the northern hemisphere. Badgers have short legs, elongated feet with powerful toes adapted to digging, heavy jaws with big teeth and great strength, courage and cunning. They wear coats of thick fur usually grizzled in brown and gray, the face is striped and the paws are blackish. The fur is of considerable value and the hairs are used in artists' brushes. The American badger (Taxidea americana) was formerly distributed all over the western part of the United States frqm the prairie distncts of Ohio and Wisconsin to the Pacific coast, but has been exterminated by civilization east of the dry plains, where it is still numerous although not often seen, because it rarely comes abroad except in the night. It dwells in deep burrows which it digs for it self and feeds upon gophers, ground-squirrels, such ground-building birds and their eggs and youri as it is able to catch and, in times of scarcity, upon small reptiles and insects. Bad gers abound in the vicinity of prairie-dog towns, whose underground homes they can enter or dig out without difficulty. This spe cies is found as far north as Hudson Bay and south to central Mexico, where the local varie ty is called ((tejon.'" When by rare chance a badger is surprised during the day too far away from his hole to escape into it before being observed, he squats down, withdrawing nose and feet beneath his body, and remains ab solutely still, when his grizzled back looks so much like a mere hillock of earth that he is likely to escape being seen altogether. The ex traordinary breadth and fatness of his form is one of his strongest characteristics. During
the coldest part of the winter he retires to his den and passes the time when no food is to be had in deep sleep. The best account of this ani mal is to be found in Dr. Coues' (Furbearing Animals' (Washington 1877). Consult also Ingersoll, Ernest, (Wild Neighbors' (New York 1897) and Seton, (Life Histories of Northern Animals' (New York 1909). The European badger (Metes taxis) is very similar in general appearance but differs in anatomical details. Its general habits and food are like those of the American badger except that in the absence of open plains it dwells in wooded regions and has a fondness for honey, digging it out of the nests of bumblebees and others which make their homes in the ground. This is the animal formerly used in the cruel sport of badger-baiting. A captive badger was placed in an overturned barrel or some similar place, and dogs were set upon it for the amusement of seeing the fighting that resulted. It required a powerful and active dog to overcome the little animal. Frequently, however, the badger was given no fair chance, but was compelled to face in the open two or three dogs. From this un manly sport is derived the verb °to badger.° Many references are to be found in early Eng lish literature to this amusement, and to the animal itself under the old terms °grey° and Throck,' the latter still in common use in north ern England and Scotland (Celt. broc, badger). Various closely related species and varieties of the badger are to be found in northern Asia, and other relatives exist in India, Malay Islands and Africa. For these see SAND-BADGER; HONEY BADGER; RATE.L ; TELEDU. Consult Johnston, 'British Mammals' (London 1903).