MICE AND VOLES. 



129 



much injury in another direction as to outweigh their use- 

 fulness in killing mice and voles. The following animals are 

 useful in this way : 



Mammals. 



The pole-cat (Putoriiis foetidus, Gray), the stoat (P. ermineug, 

 Ow.), the weasel (P. vulgaris, Kich.), the badger (Meles taxiis, 

 Pall.), the mole (Talpa europaea, L.), and the hedgehog 

 (Erinaceus europaeus, L.), also the shrews, especially Sorex 

 vulgaris, L. The mole does not inhabit Ireland. 



The first three beasts also plunder nests and eat eggs, young 

 birds and leverets. The badger eats fruits, mast and pheasants' 



Fig. 47. Diagram of mole-heap. 



(E) Surface of groimd. (e) Central chamber. 



() Upper gallery. (/) Passage to chamber. 



(b) Descending passages. (g] Moles' run. 



(c) Lower gallery. (h] Diverging runs from lower gallery. 



(d) Ascending passages. 



eggs. The mole is hurtful to forest nurseries from its habit of 

 burrowing and throwing-up small heaps of soil. The hedge- 

 hog attacks nests. All these animals, however, are much 

 more useful than hurtful. The well-known and much abused 

 mole hunts for mice, crickets, snails, slugs and grubs, and is 

 always at hand where these creatures abound, and extremely 

 useful in destroying them. It increases rapidly, has 3 5 

 young at a birth, and two broods in the year, in May and 

 August, and is very voracious. Its ingenious nest (Fig. 47) 

 F.P. K 



