CHANGES FOR ADAPTATION IN THE MOLE oa 
Gesner’s Thierbuch (1563). He has represented this animal in a 
drawing as having fairly large and conspicuous eyes, furry tail, 
and the toes of the front feet separated some distance. He also 
shows the fore feet much smaller than they should be. In his 
description he says that the eyes are small, but visible when the 
hair is parted; that the hands are large; that they are the only 
animals which live throughout their lives underground; that the 
diet consists of worms. He evidently had a fairly clear con- 
ception of some of the anatomical structures and habits of this 
animal. 
An American mole was described and compared with Talpa 
europaea by Barrington as early as 1772. From his description, 
which is confined largely to the teeth, one would agree with 
him that it was most likely Scalops aquaticus which he had 
under observation. 
The mole is almost completely covered with a soft velvety 
fur which can be brushed readily in any direction. ‘The snout, 
the tail, a narrow band close to the feet, and the feet are not 
covered with fur. The legs, with the exception of the feet, are 
largely inclosed in the body skin and are therefore inconspicuous. 
The hair or fur of the mole is similar in arrangement to the wool 
of the sheep as described by Goette (’68). 
Leydig (’59) says the general arrangement of the hairs form- 
ing the fur in mammals consists of a stiff hair surrounded by a 
group of fine wool hairs, all of which emerge from a common 
opening in the skin. The difference between the stiff hair in the 
center of the group and the tactile hairs is in size and nerve 
supply. The tactile hairs are larger and much better supplied 
with nerves. 
True (’97) describes the fur of the mole as very fine, velvety, 
slightly crenulate, and with broad, shining tips. 
Wood (’10) says the fur is arranged vertical to the body, is 
silky, and offers little resistance to movement in any direction. 
It is 1 em. long on the back. The basal portion is kinky for 
four-fifths the length, while the distal one-fifth is straight and 
bent at an angle to the other portion. This gives all the slope 
there is to the hair. Examined microscopically, these hairs 
