Show BADGER BAITING OUT WEST A favorite sport in southern california the game caught napping Kapp lne the favorite sport in northern california californi a J and over tho the entire state is coursing with greyhounds grey hounds some of the finest dogs doga in the world are owned in this state and so finely are they trained framed and bred that the tha jackrabbit jack rabbit one of the swiftest of its kind has little chance of escape from them the evolutions of pursued and pu pursuers issuers are of the grea greatest best interest the badger while common is rarely met with and not one californian in a thousand his has seen rone fone alive in the tha open country though probably thousands have fallen into badger holes in appearances the animal resembles a short flattened out bear its colors are arc black and white attractively arranged so that it presents a striking and conspicuous appearance its mouth is armed with a powerful array of teeth and in the arrangement of the jaw we find a peculiarity not found in any other mammal so that it is almost impossible to dislocate it which explains the bulldog like tenacity of the animals grip in its habits babits the badger is quiet and harmless remaining in its burrow during the day time and roaming around at night in search of food in olden times in england badger baiting consisted in capturing tho animal placing it in a depression in the ground and then setting the dogs upon it the d s that succeeded in taking it out and killing it was supposed to be the victor though all undoubtedly aided in wearing it out in southern ili fomia the curious animal is occasionally found out of its burrow during dining the day and will afford f fine sport to riders who endeavor to capture it by the aid of dogs A robust badger is a match for half a doz dozen en ordinary greyhounds grey hounds hence the fight is not so one sided as might be imagined one morning justas just as the sun was riding over the arizona desert and starting the night shadows in the deep canyons of the sierra madres a party of horsemen rodo rode over the mesa literally wading through the flowers A pack of greyhounds grey hounds followed while a number of foxhounds fox hounds ran here and there breaking out now and then into fitful into intonations intonation natio lis as a rabbit trail was crossed finally a great commotion is heard beard in a clump of eucalyptus trees a rush is made the hon horsemen semen surrounding the spot where the hounds are uttering cries that tell of game in the toils for a moment nothing is seen then a black and white furry object as big as somo some of tho the dogs appears in the midst of them now on its back snapping viciously now clinging to a dog with a vice like gri grip pa and tearing with its powerful claws the badger had been caught napping and was pounced upon by the dogs while lying in a root hole where some one had bad taken up a eucalyptus in this fortification the animal had an advantage which w aich it was not slow to follow up tip and as the excited dogs fell or rolled in upon it they were bitten torn tom and scratched with a spirit that told of considerable reserve power on the part of tho the animal good foxhounds fox hounds aro are rare in southern california and as there were several in the pack taking their punishment too well to suit their owners the latter made an attempt to close in on the badger but the dogs wild with rage crowded on and in a moment the unfortunate beast was under a of hounds the dogs were hauled off and thrown aside beaten and yelled at and finally the horses were driven among them and all that remained of the badger was hauled out tho the animal weighed thirty pounds and its powerful claws told the story of its staying powers the skin was saved as a trophy and afterward made into a stool the hair of the animal is extremely valuable in trade being utilized in the manufacture of brushes for which purpose hundreds of badgers are killed yearly in europe san gabriel cal cor new york commercial advertiser |