BADGERS.
(To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."4
SIR, —In a letter published in your issue of August 27th a correspondent expresses surprise at a statement in my recent article to the effect that a badger may be killed by a single blow across the bridge of the nose—its most sensitive part. I can quite imagine the coal-hammer incident that the writer (Mr. H. A. Parker) describes, having myself seen a badger take several blows from a crow-bar, swung by a powerful man, without turning a hair. I shudder still at that recollection. The man aimed his blows too high upon the animal's skull, as was doubtless the case in the instance given by Mr. Parker. On the other hand, I remember a " grey " being killed (acci- dentally) by a comparatively light stroke from an ordinary walking-stick. On this occasion the striker's sole purpose was to head the badger off an open earth which the poor brave beast was making determined efforts to enter. I have known two or three old badger-diggers who were expert at dispatching their captives by this method, but some anatomical knowledge of the animal is necessary to do it satisfactorily.—I am. Sir,
de., DOUGLAS GORDON. Talaton, 0 ttery St. Mary, Devonshire.
Previous page
