MAMMALIA— MOLE. 99 



4 



THE MOLE* 



Without being blind, has such small eyes, and these so concealed, that it 

 was formerly supposed to be able to make but little use of the sense of seeing ; 

 but it is now known that its eyes possess all the qualities necessary to dis- 

 tinct vision. It enjoys also the senses of hearing and feeling in an eminent 

 degree. Its skin is soft as silk ; and its paws, which are furnished with 

 five claws, are very different from those of other animals, and almost like 

 the hands of a human being. Proportioned to the size of its body, its 

 strength is great ; it possesses the mild habitudes of repose and of solitude ; 

 the art of securing itself, of forming, instantaneously, as it were, an asylum 

 for itself; or extending it, and of obtaining, without the necessity of relin- 

 quishing it, an abundant subsistence. 



The mole shuts up the entry to its retreat, which it seldom deserts, unless 

 forced to it by heavy rains in summer. It is fond of cultivated grounds, 

 and is never to be found in those which are either muddy, hard, compact, or 

 stony. It requires a soft soil, well supplied with esculent roots, and wim 

 insects and worms, of which, indeed, its principal nourishment consists. 



1 Talpa Europea, Lin. The genus Talpa has six upper and eight lower incisors ; two 

 upper and two lower canines; fourteen upper and twelve lower molars. Body thick; 

 head elongated, pointed ; muzzle with a cartilaginous button ; eyes very small ; no external 

 ears ; pentadactylous ; fore feet very large, with toes united to the nails, which are strong 

 and slightly arched. 



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flesh. It is likewise found in the woods and fields, where, living on corn, 

 it sometimes conceals itself under moss or leaves, sometimes under the 

 trunks of trees, sometimes in holes abandoned by moles, and sometimes in 

 holes of a smaller size, which it forms for itself by digging with its claws 

 and snout. 



The shrew mouse produces, it is said, as many at a birth as the domestic 

 mouse, though less frequently. It has a squeak much more sharp and 

 piercing than the latter. In point of nimbleness, however, it is far inferior ; 

 and as it both sees imperfectly, and runs slowly, there is little difficulty in 

 taking it. 



The usual color of the shrew is brown, with a mixture of red ; others 

 of them are ash-colored ; and in all there is a greater or less degree of white- 

 ness upon the belly. They are very common throughout Europe ; and in 

 America there are several species of a small size. Among them are 

 the small shrew, and the short-tailed shrew. The first is found on the 

 Missouri, and the latter on the Rocky Mountains. Godman mentions a 

 third species, and Richardson notices two others, the American marsh 

 shrew, and Foster's shrew mouse. 



