Scientific Intelligence—Natural History. 887 
approached the toad, the latter swelled up, and the former turned 
away his snout as if disgusted. Roots of carrot, cabbage, lettuce, 
and nothing else, were then put in and left with the mole all night. 
Next morning the mole was dead, the roots scarely touched, the bit- 
ten fragments still remaining. ‘The mole, therefore, is not an herbiv- 
orous animal, and only destroys roots to get at the worms, insects, 
and larve within. 
Three other moles were put separately, with vegetable food, as 
leaves, roots, &c. One died without at all touching the food, the 
other two also died, after slightly attacking the leaves, &c. only in 
their search for animal food. the contrary, moles were preserved 
for a long time, by giving them sparrows and frogs, or even butcher’s 
meat, and sometimes worms, snails, and wood-lice. vee 
T'wo moles having been put into a room without food, some hours 
after, they were found the one pursuing the other, not a moment’s 
céssation occurring ; by the next morning, the stronger had eaten the 
weaker. 
“With regard to the time during which a mole can fast, from ten to 
twelve hours appear to be the maximum; at the end of that time . 
they die. In three or four hours, they become very hungry, and in 
five or six hours exceedingly weak. Eating always seems to refresh 
them perfectly, and, as happens with all carnivorous animals, they are 
very desirous of drinking when they eat: the contrary is observed 
with herbivorous animals. It is doubtful whether any other animal 
exists, which is obliged to eat at such short intervals as this. __ 
From ‘what precedes, it is evident that the mole is essentially a car- 
nivorous animal. A new instance of the admirable relation which 
connects organization with manners, and functions with organs; and 
anew proof, that whenever there appears to be a contradiction be- 
tween'one of these things and the other, it is because in the one or 
the’ other, the organization or the habits, have been badly observed. 
M: Flourens remarks, that it ‘will be interesting to observe in what 
degree the other insectivious, all classed in fact by M. Cuvier in the 
great family of Camassicus, are really carnivorous ; and especially 
what determinaté modifications of their digestive organs correspond 
to the various modifications of their regimen: that of the hedgehog, 
for instance, which can“eat fruits as well as insects, and that of the 
shtewmouse; which ought to live entirely on prey, if we judge by the 
shortness of their intestinal canal, which, as in true carnivorous ani- 
mals, like the tiger, lion, &c., is only about three times the length of 
the body.—Jdem. 
