The noble arte of venerie or hunting VVherein is handled and set out the vertues, nature, and properties of fiutene sundrie chaces togither, with the order and maner how to hunte and kill euery one of them. Translated and collected for the pleasure of all noblemen and gentlemen, out of the best approued authors, which haue written any thing concerning the same: and reduced into such order and proper termes as are vsed here, in this noble realme of England. The contentes vvhereof shall more playnely appeare in the page next followyng.

Of the nature and properties of a Foxe and a Badgerd. Chap. 66. (Book 66)

[illustration]

AS you haue two kyndes or more of euery other chace by di∣uersitie of names: so of these vermyne there are Foxes and theyr Cubbes, and Badgerdes and theyr Pigges: the female of a Foxe is called a Bitche, and he himselfe a Doggefoxe: the Female of a Badgerde is called a Sowe, and the male a Badgerde or a Borepygge of a Badgerde. Yet some will not allowe this difference: but I can prooue it by good rea∣son and by the diuersities of colour, nature, and proportion.

the Badgerd pigges at comming out of the earth do common∣ly make and cast their fyaunts: and they neuer do it vntill they haue made a hole in the earth with theyr snowte or with their foote: and then they fyaunt within it and hide it: this the Foxe cubbes do not. Also the Badgerd maketh his hole commonly in sande or light earth whiche is easie to digge, and in open pla∣ces, to haue the comfort of the Sunne: for they sleepe vncessant∣ly, and are muche fatter than Foxcubbes be. As touchyng their heare, they haue a grey coate, and are somewhat whyter than the olde, waxyng greyer and greyer the elder that they bee: some say that there is twoo sortes of these yong Badgerdes (and I beleeue it) whereof that other sorte goeth furder out for their pray than these do: and that they caste their fyants longer somewhat lyke a Foxe, and keepe commonly in strong holdes or in rockes, and make their earth or their Burrowe deeper than these doo. But yet there be not so many chambers nor angles in their Burrowes as there are in these: for it were vnpossible for them to worke so well in Rockes or in harde earth, as those others do in Sande. These two sundry sortes do not keepe one another companie: neyther shall you lightly finde one of them where that other is. Terryers do feare the one more than the other, bycause they are muche curster, and a∣gayne they stinke muche worse. For the better vnderstandyng of the diuersitie, let vs coyne a worde, and call the one Badgerd∣pigges, and the other Badgerdwhelpes, and say that the Bad∣gerdwhelpes haue theyr nose, their throte, and their eares yel∣lowyshe, lyke vnto a Marternes throte, and are muche blac∣ker than the pigges, and higher legged: Bothe sortes liue vpon all fleshe, and will hunte after carrion: they do greate hurte in Warreynes and Connigrees, especially when they be full of little rabbets, for they make a hole right aboue the neast,* 1.1 and go streyght to them: Whereas the Foxe followeth the holes mouthe vntill he come at the neast. I haue seene a Badgerde take a suckyng Pigge in my presence, and ca∣ryed him cleane away vnto his earth. It is sure that they desire Hogges fleshe more than any other: For if you trayne

a peece of Porke or Hogges fleshe vppon their burrowe, they will sure come out vnto it. They pray also vppon all Pullen, as Geese, Duckes, Hennes, and suche like. I can speake by experience, for I haue brought vp some •…•…ame, vntill they were foure yeares olde, and being so brought vp, they are verie gen∣tle, and will playe with yong whelpes, and ne•…•…er hurt them, and the rest of the day that they neither feede nor playe, they be∣stow in sleeping. Those which I haue brought vp, would come to me at a call, and followe me like whelpes of houndes. They are verie chyll o•…•… colde, and if you lette them lye in a chamber where there is any fire, they will creepe so neare it, that they will burne their coates and their feete also many times, and then are they verie harde to be healed. They will be fed with any thing, breade, cheese, fruites, byrdes, or any thing that you will giue them. When it snoweth or is harde weather, then they come not out of their holes sometimes in twoo or three dayes toge∣thers, the which I haue obserued at their holes mouth, when it hath snowed and lyen there so thicke, that they coulde not haue styrred out, but that I might haue perceiued them: As I haue seene that after three dayes they haue come out for pure hunger, and gone to praye for meate. It is a pleasure to beholde them when they gather stuffe for their nest or for their couch, as straw, leaues, mosse, and such other things: and with their forefeete and their heade, they will wrappe vp as muche together, as a man would carie vnder one atme, and will make shifte to get it into their holes and couches. This sub•…•…letie they haue, that when they perceiue the Terryers beginne to yearne them, and to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 at thē, they will stoppe the hole betweene the Terryers and them, least the Terryers should followe them any further: and then if the Terryers baye still, they will remoue their baggage with them, and go into another chamber or angle of their Burrowe. They 〈◊〉〈◊〉 long, and when they ware old, then some of them fall blind, and can not come forth of their holes. Then if they be the Bad∣gers, the Sowes feede them, and if it be the Sowe, the Badger feedeth hir likewise. They dye also of certayne wormes, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉, which they haue all ouer their skynne: euen as you see

that houndes haue the maunge and cankerwormes sometimes. And therefore it is that I councelled to washe your Terryers, as soone as they came out of the earth. All these thinges I haue seene by experience: they are long liued, and harde to kyll. For I haue seene a well byting Greyhounde, take a Badger and teare his guttes out of his bellye, and yet the Badgerd hathe fought still, and would not yeelde to death. True it is that they are verye tender vpon the snowt, and you can not giue them so little a blowe vpon the snowte with a sticke, but that they wil dye immediately.

As touching Foxes, I account small pastime in hunting of them, especially within the grounde. For as soone as they per∣ceyue the Terryers, if they yearne harde, and lye neare vnto them, they will bolte and come out streight wayes, vnlesse it be when the bytche hath young Cubbes: then they will not for∣sake their young ones to dye for it. They make their earthes and Burrowes as neare as they can, in grounde that is harde to dygge, as in galte, clay, and stonye grounde, or amongest the rootes of trees: and their earthes haue commonly but one hole, the whiche is verie straight, and goeth verie farre in, before it come at their cou•…•…. But sometimes they take a Badgers old Burrowe, whiche hath moe chambers, holes, and angles. When a good Terryer doth once reache a Foxe, they defende themselues shrewdly, but yet nothing like the Badgerd, neyther is their by∣ting so daungerous. If you take a bytche Foxe in the time that she goeth on clycketing, and cut out hir gutte whiche holdeth hir spreame or nature, together with the kydneys whiche Gelders take awaye from a bytche whiche when they spaye hir, and then cut all into small gobbets, and put them into a potte hote as they be, then take Goome of Masticke and mingle it therewith, and couer the potte close, it will keepe all the yeare, and will serue to make a trayne for a Foxe, when you would, on this wise: Take a skynne of Bacon, and lay it on a Gryd∣yron, and when it is well broyled and hote, then dippe it and puddle it in this sawce that is within the pot, and make a trayn therewith, and you shall see that if there be a Foxe neare to any

place where the trayne is drawne, he will followe it. But he which maketh the trayne, must rubbe the soales of his shoes with Cowes dung, least the Foxe vent his footing. And thus you may trayne a Foxe to a standing, and kyll him in an euening with a Crossebowe.

It is also a thing experimented, that if you rubbe a Ter∣ryer with Brymstone, or with the oyle of Cade, and then put the Terryer into an earth where Foxes be, or Badgerdes, they will leaue that earth, and come no more at it in two or three moneths at least.

Notes

• * 1.1

  VVe thinke that the Foxe maketh a hole aboue as well as a Badgerd.