INSECT-EATING MAMMALS 



67 



touch long after the mole has left it, and that when there are 

 young In the nest it is infested with fleas and mites. 



The fortress of the mole, in spite of this elaborate construc- 

 tion, is not necessarily a permanent residence. It is inhabited 

 from September (say) to June.^ During the summer months the 

 mole lives in it little if at all. He spends a good deal of his time 

 at night above the surface of the ground seeking for prey in that 

 direction, and during the day he may be traversing the loose soil 



exit or entrance. 



tunnel for ejecting earth or raising mound. 



^p^ tunnel directly communicating with nest : " bolt hole." 



Plan of a more elaborate Mole "Fortress" (after Mr. Lionel E. Adams). 



(only an inch or so under the surface) in long " mole runs," seek- 

 ing for worms. The nest of the female who is about to give 

 birth to young is usually constructed on a more simple plan than 

 the fortress of the male, and seldom possesses a second exit or 

 bolt run. It would seem that male and female prior to the 

 breeding season do not share the same fortress. Except for brief 

 meetings during the courtship, the sexes in adult individuals 

 live apart. The long straight runs are considered to be those 



^ The mole, no doubt, often returns in September to the fortress it 

 used before the summer, but in this case sometimes makes a fresh nest 

 above the old one. 



