Working Terriers, Badgers and Badger Digging (History of Hunting Series)

Book excerpt: This title was first published in 1931 and is now an extremely rare and sought after item in its first edition. It is now available again to all true terrier men in a revised edition published by Read Country Books. This new edition incorporates the original format plus 20 extra pages containing articles and vintage photos on the same subject. Its 130 pages of historical content contain much detailed information on the working terrier and its use in what was once an acceptable and legal field sport. The first section of the book is devoted to the Working Terrier. The author discusses the qualities and physical attributes that constitute a first class worker. He writes sensibly and with a confidence born from years of practical experience. This section then leads into a chapter of advice on the early training of terriers with much emphasis on the natural progression of their learning curve. This training period also entails the hunting of, and entering to, the rat, fox, and otter. A short chapter deals with the natural history and habits of the badger, then continues at some length with the methods and equipment used in the actual dig. The author points out that the terms "badger-digging" and "badger-baiting" should not be considered synonymous. In his opinion, "If properly conducted, badger-digging is no more cruel a sport than shooting or ratting" The final chapter is a comprehensive discourse on the care and handling of the Working Terrier. Following that are two rare articles, never before reprinted - "HUNTING BROCK THE BADGER" by J.C. Bristow-Noble (author of Working Terriers) and "THE BADGERS OF BADGWORTHY". They both contain much interesting information and many original, vintage photographs. The book is a fascinating look back at a vanished time and an excellent manual on the working terrier, with much information that is still of practical use today.