44 FAUNA OF SHROPSHIRE. 



The Hedgehog is common all over the County, and 

 there is a popular superstition that it sucks cows, robbing 

 the calves of their milk. Length, nearly 12 inches. 

 Colour, light yellowish-brown. A white Hedgehog was 

 taken near Oswestry a few years ago. 



MOLE ; Provincial name, Oont. The presence of the 

 Talpa euvopcea. Mole is shown all over the County by 



the abundance of molehills which are 

 to be seen in pastures, fields, and gardens, everywhere. 

 These heaps of earth are thrown up by the Mole in order 

 to get rid of the soil excavated in making its burrows, 

 but often it forces its way along just below the surface 

 which is raised into a ridge, and no soil is then thrown 

 out. The food of the Mole consists principally of earth 

 worms, of which it devours immense quantities. The 

 worms delight in moist earth and come out of their 

 burrows at night, especially when there is a heavy dew, 

 while in dry weather they go deep down to the moister 

 soil below. The Mole pursues them wherever they go, 

 and very rarely comes above ground except when the 

 worms do. Thus it happens that very few persons 

 ever see a live Mole. At times, however, the Mole 

 will eat slugs, grubs, and other small creatures and will 

 roam about on the surface in search of them ; this 

 happens most often on early summer evenings. For an 

 account of a Mole pursuing and capturing a Lizard 

 above ground see paragraph under "Sand Lizard" in this 

 volume. It has been known to take to the water, and 

 swim well, and will often make a tunnel to a brook or 

 pond for it is a thirsty animal, and goes regularly at 

 noon to the water to drink. The wondrous adapta- 

 tion of the structure of the Mole to its peculiar mode of 



