MOLE 



33 



thurr thurr — somewhat like the purring of a cat or the distant 

 jarring of a goatsucker, arrested my attention. Creeping 

 cautiously in the direction whence the sound came, I per- 

 ceived that it proceeded from the ground, and the moment 

 I touched the spot it ceased. On digging into the ground a 

 IMole's run was found a few inches below the surface, and 

 I have not the slightest doubt the author of the sound was 

 no other than the Mole itself. 



I have obtained the young (probably ten days to a fortnight 

 old) from the nest during the third week of May. They 

 were then of a bluish-grey colour, very silky in appearance, 

 and without fur. 



Buff and cream-coloured varieties are not very uncommon, 

 and from time to time afford material for a correspondence 

 in the newspapers. 





