Mole, — Polecat — Marten. — Fox. 227 



The Mole feeds, during night, upon the common slug, I be- 

 lieve, It has been observed in Selkirkshire, that, where the 

 moles have been nearly extirpated, upon the Duke of Buc- 

 cleugh's pasture-farms, slugs have increased to such a degree 

 as to render it probable that they really consume a great 

 proportion of the herbage. On the pasture land of other 

 proprietors, where the moles are not destroyed, the slugs are 

 certainly not so numerous, not more so than usual. Now, it 

 is well known, whatever may be the reason, and no other can 

 be thought of, that the grounds upon which the moles are 

 destroyed do not keep so many sheep as formerly when the 

 moles were not destroyed. 



Where rabbits are not found, the fox preys upon the mole. 

 On some of the sea lochs on the west of Ross-shire it has 

 been observed that both the fox and 



The Polecat ( Mustela Putbrius), and likewise the Marten 

 (M. Foina), descend to the shore during night, and feed upon 

 the shellfish, particularly upon the large basket muscle (My~ 

 til us modiolus). I have, myself, seen these shells far up on 

 the sides of the mountains, and in the birch copses, broken 

 and empty. They must have been carried thither by some 

 animal. 



A curious circumstance occurred at Duart, on Loch Tor- 

 ridon, some years ago. The shores of this wild and seques- 

 tered inland bay abound in shellfish. There are large 

 accumulations of the common muscle, useless as the rocks of 

 hard sandstone, which would be a princely fortune near Lon- 

 don, as the muscles would furnish bait for Eyemouth, Buck- 

 haven, and Newhaven to boot. There are, also, very many 

 of the large basket muscle, or yogg, as the Shetlanders call 

 it (ikfytilus modiolus). Some of the largest size are found 

 7 in. long. These, for reasons which they best know, detach 

 themselves from the groups of their species, and may be seen 

 in a solitary state here and there along the shores, adhering 

 to the crevices of rocks or larger stones below the sand, by 

 their strong beards (byssus). These are more peculiarly re- 

 lished by the foxes and martens. One morning, at daybreak, 

 a man of the name of Murdoch Mackenzie observed a fox 

 on the shore, by no means an unusual sight, for their habits 

 in this respect are well known to the people ; but the tide 

 was coming in, yet the fox seemed heedless, and busily en- 

 gaged with something. Murdoch, after observing him for a 

 little time, went to his hut for his gun, and forthwith down to 

 the shore ; when, to his surprise, the fox was, to all appear- 

 ance, as careless of his approach as of that of the coming tide. 

 He shot him. On going to pick him up, Murdoch became 



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