i6 TALPID/E— TALPA 



Herr Carl Hess^ of Germany. The latter denies that the 

 animal is even short-sighted. 



But, even allowing so much, it was conceded by Herr Hess 

 that while under-ground the eyes must be quite useless. It is 

 evident that their low forward position in a head, the aspect of 

 which is downwards, not to mention the thick fur surrounding 

 them, and the grass amongst which the animal usually moves 

 when above ground, must combine to restrict the vision, even of 

 acute eyes, to a radius of a few inches. This is entirely borne 

 out by the observations of practical naturalists like E. R. 

 Alston,^ Dr H. Laver,^ and Mr Adams, who, although admitting 

 that the eyes appear functional, find from careful observation 

 that they are of little or no service to the animal. Mr Adams 

 is thoroughly convinced that the Mole is practically blind. A 

 captive individual, when confronted with a worm, immediately 

 perceives its proximity and shows signs of excitement. But it 

 invariably has to search for it ; and the random way in which it 

 does so until it strikes the worm haphazard, suggests a probable 

 absence of sight. So much was this the case, indeed, with one 

 kept captive by Alston, which " puzzled round " a piece of meat 

 so long before finding it, that he was inclined to disparage its 

 sense of smell also. Although a very slight movement is at 

 once perceived, probably by the sense of hearing, a mole proved 

 absolutely indifferent to the presence of a lighted candle, even 

 when waved about before its face, and would have actually run 

 into the flame if permitted to do so. Mr Adams argues that 

 the animal could hardly be indifferent to such a startling and 

 unfamiliar phenomenon close in front of its eyes, unless the 

 light were imperceptible.* 



It is probable that the whole controversy has arisen out of 

 an existing variability in the eyesight of individuals. For 

 instance, Messrs R. Rollinat and E. L. Trouessart find that 

 towards the southern extremity of the Mole's range in France 

 the eyes are not infrequently concealed beneath the skin, and 



1 Nature^ xli., 1889-90, 373, transcribed in Zoologist^ 1890, 98 ; see also John Davy, 

 Proc. Zool. Soc. (London), 185 1, 129. - Zoologist, 1865, 9707. ^ /„ ///_ 



* But it should be noted that many wild or inexperienced domestic animals 

 apparently take no notice of a light or a fire until they approach near enough to feel 

 the heat. A. H. Cocks finds also that the sense of smell is not normal in animals 

 confined in boxes or cages. 



