Natural History. 205 



climate under which they have to live. iii. That habits of inde- 

 pendence rapidly convert domesticated species of animals into 

 the wild species from which they have been taken. — Mem. du Mu- 

 seum, Sfc. xvii. 201. 



13. Natural History of the Mole. — Observations relating to the 

 natural history of this animal have lately been made and published 

 in the Mem. du Museum oVHistoire Naturelle, xvii. 193, by M. 

 Flourens, from which the following facts have been abstracted. 

 Two moles were put into a vessel with earth at the bottom, and 

 with roots of carrot and horseradish for food. The next morning 

 only one mole was visible, the roots were not eaten, and on search- 

 ing the earth, the skin alone of the other was found. It was 

 opened throughout its length, beginning at the belly, and the bones 

 and flesh were eaten. 



The other mole was put into an empty vessel ; it was excessively 

 agitated and active, and appeared to be very hungry. A sparrow 

 without its wing feathers was put to it, which at first pecked at the 

 nose of the mole when the latter approached it, but after two or three 

 times the mole darted on to the sparrow, thrust its nose into the 

 entrails of the bird and detached the skin, at the same time devour- 

 ing the flesh with a degree of fury. Putting a glass with water 

 into the vessel, the mole drank abundantly once and again during 

 its meal on the sparrow. The presence of the observer did not 

 appear to interfere, in the least, with the motions of the animal. 



The remains of the sparrow being removed, the mole was left to 

 itself; an hour after it was lying quiet ; in five or six hours it was 

 very agitated, and appeared exceedingly weak, its belly pressed 

 inwards, its sides depressed, its appearance breathless, its snout in 

 continual motion — it appeared starved and ready to die. Another 

 live sparrow was put towards the animal, who this time instantly 

 jumped at it, and began to devour it as before at the entrails. After 

 eating a little it drank, became of its usual size, and remained quiet. 

 Next morning, all but the skin of the sparrow had disappeared, but 

 still the mole seemed hungry and agitated ; a frog was put in, the 

 mole instantly fell upon and devoured it, beginning at the entrails 

 as before. The mole was then left until it was very hungry, after 

 which a toad was put to it : the mole instantly perceived it, but each 

 time that it approached the toad, the latter swelled up, and the for- 

 mer turned away his snout as if disgusted. Roots of carrots, cab- 

 bage, lettuce, and nothing else, were then put in and left with the 

 mole all night. Next morning the mole was dead, the roots scarcely 

 touched, the bitten fragments still remaining. The mole, there- 

 fore, is not an herbivorous animal, and only destroys roots to get 

 at the worms, insects, and larvae within. 



Three other moles were put separately, with vegetable food, as 

 leaves, roots, &c. One died without at all touching the food, the 

 other two also died, after slightly attacking the leaves, &c, and 



