Manchester Memoirs, Vol. I. ( 1 906), No. 0. 5 



and played havoc among the borders agahist the walls, 

 raising mounds and uprooting plants. I took a candle to 

 aid his recapture, and placed it on the ground just where 

 he was about to emerge. Upon coming to the surface he 

 paid no attention to the candle in front of him, and 

 blundered into the candlestick, but directly I stirred to 

 seize him he was off again. I took the candle and 

 watched him burrow and emerge in another place ; I 

 waved the candle in front of him, but he took no notice. 

 This experiment with a lighted candle I have repeatedly 

 tried with captive moles at different times, and invariably 

 with the same result, and I cannot avoid the conclusion 

 that moles are practically blind, for surely no animal 

 would be indifferent to such a startling and unfamiliar 

 phenomenon as a light waving suddenly close in front of 

 its eyes, unless, indeed, the light was imperceptible. 

 When I had caught and replaced him I fastened some wire 

 netting over his box. The next morning I found him 

 actually hanging to the wire netting with his front paws, 

 poking his nose through the meshes, and travelling from 

 one hole to another with his body hanging perpen- 

 dicularly. 1 regretted the light was not good enough to 

 obtain a photograph of him in this unique position. 



It is astonishing how soon moles become tame or 

 rather indifferent to being handled. When first caught 

 the}' squeak and bite viciously, but within an hour I have 

 taken them up by the skin of the back without their 

 protesting. I have frequently stroked and tickled my 

 captives while they were engaged in eating, and I have 

 held them up by the tail while they lapped water. I 

 taught my last captive to come blundering along for food 

 when I scratched upon the earth or the side of his box. 

 This sudden tameness or indifference I have observed 

 with long-tailed field mice, short-tailed field mice, and 



