THE MOLE IN CAPTIVITY 233 



rushes here and there, it sniffs and it smells, and even when 

 it retires to its nest it is still in the same energetic manner. 



At this time I had a mole, No. 3, which was kept in 

 a tub in an outhouse, and my brother was anxious to see 

 what would happen if the two were put together, but I 

 was so sure that the result would be fatal that I refused 

 to try the experiment. By a curious coincidence, for live 

 moles are generally difficult to get, another unhurt mole 

 had been caught the same day No. 3 was taken ; so the 

 mole-catcher popped them into his pocket, thinking I should 

 like a couple, but when he got to the house only one 

 came out alive. The other was dead. " I heard 'em 

 squeaking," he said, "but didn't think much about it." 



As I wished to get a photograph of my tame mole when 

 he was worrying a dead one, I took him out-of-doors and put 

 him on a table in front of the camera. He seemed nervous 

 in the open air, and ran to the edge of the table, but seemed 

 aware there was a drop before him, and drew back in a 

 hurry. He repeated the same thing on the other side, 

 and appeared to know, though he could hardly have seen, 

 that he would have a fall if he ventured further. 



I have said that this mole was bold, but I frightened 

 him badly by putting a dead bird in his cage. The cat had 

 killed a robin, so I took it from her to see what the mole 

 would do to it ; but the minute he smelt it he cocked 

 his scrap of a tail, dug frantically, and was some minutes 

 before he ventured on the surface again. I then offered him 

 a leg, without feathers on it, but down he went again once 

 more, with every sign of panic. 



I lost this mole after I had had him thirty days, to my 

 great regret, for he was quite a personality. There was 

 a crack in the glass at one side of the cage into which 

 he must have managed to insert his strong claws, for 

 in the morning the piece of glass had been pulled out 

 and the mole had vanished. His fate remained a mystery 

 for nearly a fortnight, and then there arose a most peculiar 

 smell in a hot-air cupboard. The poor mole had got behind 

 the wainscoting and there died. The carpenter was sent 

 for, who sniffed appreciatively and remarked it was " A fine 



