208 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



had gorged itself the previous evening, and had been left 

 without supplies for the night. 



Another example of the mole's rapid digestion and 

 liability to starvation was the case of one which I called 

 No. 4. I fed it at 9.30 in the evening with plenty of 

 worms, but at 7.15 the following morning I found it looking 

 very miserable and hunting weakly for food. It was cold 

 as well as feeble, and I did not think it would recover ; 

 however, it ate the worms I gave it in a ravenous manner. 

 When it had eaten some it seemed a little better, and then 

 began to make up its bed. In a few hours it was all right 

 and quite itself, but I am convinced that it was only fed 

 just in time, and that in another half hour it would have 

 been dead. 



The first mole I had, which was known as No. 1, I kept 

 for a month, and then released in as perfect condition as 

 when it was caught. It had a daily allowance of not less 

 than sixty worms, but sometimes had many more. The 

 worms were doled out to it three times a day for fear it 

 should eat them all at once. The average weight of worms 

 consumed in the twenty-four hours was 4 oz., which was 

 more than the animal's own weight, for it was but 3 oz. At 

 this rate it ate 7 lb. 8 oz. of worms in the thirty days, and had 

 I kept it for twelve months would have required 90 lb., which 

 would mean 21,600 worms. Perhaps the reader will now 

 have some inkling why I turned this mole out at the end of 

 the month! In considering what moles eat, it should not 

 be forgotten that a captive would hardly have as good an 

 appetite as a free mole, which would have to take considerable 

 exercise in pursuit of its prey. In short, the amount of 

 worms and worms are undoubtedly their staple food that 

 moles consume in this country in the course of a year must 

 be something incredible. . , 



In justice to the species, I will add that later on I kept a 

 mole for a considerable time on a daily ration of 3 oz. of 

 worms, but this was simply because I had such difficulty in 

 getting it any-more. It was always ready to eat as many 

 extra as I cared to provide. 



The first-mentioned mole, which I will speak of as No. I, 



