336 



THE POPULAK EDUCATOR. 



object being to catch and eat as many fat snails as he can find. 

 It is during these nightly rambles that the mole is sometimes 

 snapped up by a hungry owl, in want of a supper for herself and 

 ravenous family. The owl and owlets have, probably, little 

 cause for rejoicing ; a severe fit of indigestion must surely be 

 their fate after swallowing the tough skin of the mole. 



This animal is a great eater ; in what food does he most 

 delight ? Earth-worms form the daintiest dinners of the hungry 

 little fellow. But he is a bit of an epicure, objecting to eat the 

 worms until they have been skinned. He is said to perform 

 this operation for himself in the neatest manner. Those who 

 are acquainted with the structure of the earth-worm will not be 

 surprised at the mole's objection to the skin. Even a hungry 

 man would object to a mutton chop with 120 bits of gristle in it. 

 The earth-worm has that number of gristly rings in its body, 

 and the epicure mole is therefore quite justified in separating 

 them with the skin. Of course it is very bad for the worm, but 

 then it ia very good for the mole. 



fights. How so ? Surely his name would not make a good 

 party cry ; he could never aid in blinding the eyes of voters, nor 

 is he valuable enough for a bribe. Will the reader be kind 

 enough to imagine himself present at a dinner party of Jacobite 

 gentlemen in the reign of Queen Anne ? What toast is that 

 which excites such uproarious applause ? They all drink it ; 

 every glass is emptied at the words, " Here's to the little gen- 

 tleman in velvet." What can bo meant ? One of the party 

 explains that " the little gentleman " refers to the mole which 

 raised the hill against which the horse of William III. stumbled, 

 breaking the royal rider's collar-bone, and thus causing the death 

 of the king. The delighted Jacobites expressed their frantic 

 joy by thus toasting the unknown and unconscious mole. What 

 if the very animal which raised that hillock had been discovered ? 

 Surely he would have been feasted on the fattest earth-worma 

 off silver plates while living, would have been embalmed when 

 dead, and preserved as a precious mummy in a golden shrine 

 with rushlights burning round it day and night. 



SECTIONAL VIEW OF A MOLE'S NEST AND THE SUBTERRANEAN GALLERIES AND TUNNELS SURROUNDING IT. 



We have called this quadruped a teetotaler, for in respect to 

 wate, the little fellow may well be called " a thirsty soul." So 

 incessant is the desire to drink, that it actually constructs a 

 series of tanks for collecting and holding water, unless a stream 

 or pond be near. 



A mole has what may be called " a bit of a temper," and will 

 fight most desperate battles with its own kind. Especially does 

 this occur when one happens to bore into the gallery of another. 

 The two pugnacious engineers meet ; there is no room for pass- 

 ing ; perhaps neither will go back ; all the dignity of mole nature 

 forbids that ; and there is nothing left but " a set to." This is 

 no joking matter to either of the warriors, for the mole's bite is 

 like that of a bull-dog, as any reader may test for himself 

 whenever he catches one of our black little friends alive. 



Our mole has the character of being an affectionate husband ; 

 in truth, many of bis most furious battles are fought in defence 

 of wife and babies. He will often die rather than desert his 

 spouse. The lady mole is sometimes caught in traps, and the 

 devoted husband has been known to perish rather than aban- 

 don her. What a nice text this would be for a sermon addressed 

 to certain bipeds ! 



Politicians have sometimes used the mole in their partisan 



Hero some may torn from politics to more prosy matters, by 

 asking whether the mole does not do a great deal of mischief. 

 The farmers certainly bring heavy charges against him, but 

 these accusations may be reduced to two eating or injuring the 

 roots of crops, and disfiguring the meadows by the numerous 

 " hills " which the busy animal throws up. This last result 

 would be in reality a benefit if the agriculturist would level the 

 hillocks, and thus distribute a surface-dressing of rich soil over 

 his land. The reader will see how small are the evils produced 

 by the mole. 



A war of extermination has, however, long been waged against 

 our active engineer. In this contest mole-catchers are the field- 

 marshals, the artillery consisting of cleverly devised traps, which 

 only moles of first-rate talent are able to avoid. Great has been 

 the slaughter of the quadrupeds ; one " catcher " summed up 

 his own slain at 40,000 moles, and even their enthusiastic his- 

 torian, Le Court, captured 6,000 in five months. The mole has, 

 we think, made a good fight for life, or not a. single one of his 

 race would be now alive. He seems still determined to keep up 

 the " battle of life," and has not given the slightest hint^ of 

 surrender, or even of emigration. We cannot help honouring 

 such pluck, and wish him all the success he deserves. 



