116 SCRIPTURE NATURAL HISTORY. 



nature. In the mole, however, though condemned to all these 

 seeming inconveniences, we discover no signs of wretchedness or 

 distress. No quadruped is latter, none has a more sleek or glossy 

 skin ; and, though denied many advantages that most animals en- 

 joy, it is more liberally possessed of others, which they have in a 

 more scanty proportion. 



The size of the mole is between that of the rat and the mouse ; 

 but it in no way resembles either, being an animal entirely of a sin- 

 gular kind, and perfectly unlike any other quadruped whatever. 

 Its nose is long and pointed, resembling that of a hog, but much 

 longer. Its eyes are so small that it is scarcely possible to discern 

 them ; and instead of ears it has only holes in the place. Its neck 

 is so short that the head seems stuck upon the shoulders. The 

 body is thick and round, terminating by a very small short tail, and 

 its legs also are so short, that the animal seems to lie flat on its belly. 

 Thus it appears to us, at first view, as a mass of flesh covered with 

 a fine shining black skin, with a little head, and scarce any eyes, 

 legs, or tail. The ancients and some of the moderns were of opin- 

 ion, jhat the mole was utterly blind ; but Derham, by the help of a 

 microscope, plainly discovered all parts of the eye that are known, 

 in other animals. The smallness of its eyes, which induced the 

 ancients to think it blind, is to the animal a peculiar advantage. A 

 small degree of vision is sufficient for a creature that is destined to 

 live in darkness : a more extensive sight would only have served to 

 show the horrors of its prison, while nature had denied it the means 

 of escape. Had this organ been larger, it would have been perpet- 

 ually liable to injuries, by the falling of the earth into it; but na- 

 ture, to prevent that inconvenience, has not only made them very 

 small, but has also covered them with hair. Besides these advan- 

 tages, anatomists mention another, that contributes to its security ; 

 namely, a certain muscle, by which the animal can draw back the 

 eye whenever it is necessary, or in danger. Indeed, the whole fig- 

 ure and formation of the mole is most admirably adapted to its. 

 manner of living, and strikingly illustrates the wisdom and skill of 

 the Almighty Creator. 





