TALPIDA.. 563 



the upper part of the hillock, which in turn communicates by five 

 passages leading downward and upward with a much larger gallery 

 placed lower down on a level with the central nest, from which pas- 

 sages proceed outward in different directions, only one communi- 

 cating directly with the main run, while the other, curving round, 

 either soon joins or ends blindly. The main run is somewhat wider 

 than the animal's body; its walls are smooth and formed of closely 

 compressed earth, the depth varying according to the nature of the 

 soil, but ordinarily from four to six inches. From the main run 

 numerous passages are formed on each side, along which the animal 

 hunts its prey, throwing out the soil in the form known as mole-hills." 

 Moles are admirably adapted for their underground life, the fore 

 limbs being short and exceedingly muscular, and their broad, naked 

 hands, with the palms directed outward, make a most effective 

 "shovel" for digging a passage through the earth. The body is cov- 

 ered with a short, dense, velvety fur, which almost entirely hides the 

 eye; the head appears placed between the shoulders, and the ear has 

 no conch. Moles are voracious feeders, and will eat almost any kind 

 of flesh, although earthworms are their chief food. Vegetable matter 

 they will not touch. Moles have from four to six young, the period 

 of gestation being about six weeks. These animals are very pugna- 

 cious, and should two happen to meet in one of their underground 

 roads, one must seek refuge in the nearest alley entering that road, 

 or the combat that must inevitably ensue, would prove fatal to the 

 weaker individual. Moles seem to be always hungry, and they soon 

 die if made to fast, and should two be confined in one cage without 

 food for any length of time, the stronger would devour the weaker. 

 These animals are distributed in both Hemispheres, chiefly in the 

 northern portions, and in North America they have not been found 

 south of Mexico. While a majority of the known species of the 

 Family are terrestrial in their habits, a few species confined to the 

 Old World are aquatic. However, even the common Mole will some- 

 times venture into the water, for one was once seen paddling to a 

 small island in the Loch of Cluny, Scotland, on which'there were mole 

 hills. Moles commit much damage in gardens and fields, and fre- 

 quently greatly disfigure well-kept lawns and ornamental grounds by 

 the unsightly mounds they raise above their tunnels. 



Fam. II. Tal pi die. Holes. 



Body stout; neck apparently wanting; eyes minute; ears short, 

 concealed in the fur; nostrils superior or lateral, sometimes terminal 

 on the snout, and in one instance surrounded by a radiating fringe; 

 limbs short, anterior the larger; manus broad and with powerful 



