THE SCALOPS, OR SHREW-MOLE. 427 
or egress of the Mole from almost any direction, so that when its acute senses give notice 
of the approach of an enemy, it can make its retreat without ditficulty. 
The first operation is to build a tolerably large hill of compact and well-trodden 
earth. Near the summit of this mound the excavator runs a circular gallery, and another 
near the bottom, connecting the two galleries with five short passages. It then burrows 
into the centre of the mound, and digs a moderately large spherical hole, which it 
connects with the lower gallery by three passages. A very large passage, which 
is a continuation of the high-road, is then driven into the spherical chamber by 
dipping under the lower gallery, and is connected with the circular chamber from 
below. Lastly, the Mole drives a ereat number of runs, which radiate from the rest 
in all directions, and which all open into the lower circular gallery. It will be seen 
from this short description, that if a Mole should be surprised in its nest it can withdraw 
through its central chamber and so reach the high-road at once, or can slip through 
either of the short connecting galleries and escape into any of the numerous radiatory runs. 
In the central or middle chamber of the edifice the Mole places a quantity of dried 
grass or leaves, upon which it sleeps during its hours of repose. This complicated room 
is seldom used during the summer months, as at that time the Mole prefers to live in one 
of the ordinary hillocks. 
The nest which the female contrives is not so complicated as the fortress, but is well 
adapted for its purpose. The hillock in which the nest is made is always a very large 
one, and is generally placed at some distance from the fortress. Its interior is very large, 
and is generally filled with dried grass, moss, or other similar substances, and it is said 
that in some of these nests have been found certain roots on which the young Moles can 
feed during the first weeks of their existence. The young are usually born about April, 
but their appearance in the world is not so determinately settled as that of many animals, 
as young Moles are found continually from March until August. The average of their 
number is four or five, although as many as seven young have been found in one nest. 
There is but one brood in a year. 
The colour of the Mole is usually of a blackish-grey, but it is extremely variable in 
the tinting of its fur, and it is not uncommon to find in a single locality specimens of 
every hue from brown to white. There are specimens in the British Museum of almost 
every tint, and I have long had in my possession a cream-coloured Mole-skin, which was 
obtained I believe in Wiltshire, as it was furnished by a Mole-catcher that resided in that 
county. The fur is so beautifully smooth and soft that it has sometimes, though rarely, 
been employed as an article of wearing apparel, or used as a light and delicate coverlet. 
The fur, or “felt,” is best and most alossy if the animal is taken i in the winter. 
Whether the Mole is more useful or hurtful to the agricultural interest is at present a 
mooted point, and seems likely to continue so. It cannot be denied, however, that the 
subterraneous passages of the Mole, added to those of the earthworms, form a very 
complete system of subsoil drainage, and that the creature is continually enriching the 
surface of the ground by bringing fresh earth from a considerable dey oth, and thus 
involuntarily performing the office of a plough or a spade. 
ONE of the animals which forms a link between the Moles and the Shrews, and seems 
to possess some of the peculiar habits of each, is the curiously formed SCALOPs, or 
SHREW-MOLE. 
This creature seems to be peculiar to Northern America, and is generally found near 
the banks of rivers, being very water-loving in its habits. Like the ordinary mole, the 
Scalops passes the greater portion of its existence below the surface of the ground, and 
finds a subsistence among the worms and other creatures which it captures during its 
subterraneous meanderings. The muzzle of the Scalops is even more remarkable than 
that of the common mole, being much longer in proportion to the size of the animal, 
and is cartilaginous at its extremity. The claws of the fore-feet are very long and 
flattened, and are arranged in such a manner as to present a sharp point to the earth when 
the creature exercises them in the act for which they were intended. The hinder feet and 
legs are extremely small, and the tail is but short. There is no apparent outward vestige 
