THE REASOX WHY: 6/ 



: The brooke is ready to o rcflow the brim, 

 Or in the bancke the water having got 

 Some mole-hole runs, where he expected not.&quot; BROWNS. 



198. Why have moles elongated muzzles, endowed with a 

 v efmed sense of touch ? 



Because, being nearly destitute of sight, they are gifted with an 

 exquisite sense of touch, which compensates for the loss of the 

 visual faculty, and enables them to find their food in the darkness 

 under the earth s surface. 



199. Wliy are &quot;fairy rings&quot; attributed to moles? 



It is supposed by some naturalists that the verdant circles thus 

 denominated are owing to the operations of these animals, who at 

 certain seasons perform their burrowmgs in a series of circles, 

 which, loosening the soil, give the surface a greater fertility, and 

 consequent rankness of grass. 



200. Why is the collar-bone of the mole of extraordinary 

 thickness and length ? 



Because the peculiar habit of the animal rendered superior 

 strength in this part of the body necessary in order to facilitate its 

 progress when mining its way through the ground. The collar-bones 

 are wanting in those animals that use their anterior extremities 

 for progression only, and there are rudiments of them in such as 

 hold a middle station. 



201. IVliy when a female mole is caught in a trap, is the 

 male frequently found lying dead close beside her ? 



Because the attachment between these animals is very great ; 

 and, in this instance, affection overcomes the calls of hunger, and 

 the fast proves fatal to the animal. 



202. WJiy does the water-shrew appear to be of a bright silvery 

 irtour when swimming ? 



Because its hairy coat repels the water, and forms numerous 

 bubbles upon the surface, producing a silver-like appearance. 

 When the little animal quits the water, these bubbles fall off, 

 and the coat remains dry. 



