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Quadrupeds. 



THE MOLE. (Talpa Europcea.) 



THE MOLE is a curious, awkwardly-shaped animal, with 

 a long flexible snout, very small eyes, and hand-like fore 

 feet, armed with very strong claws, with which it scrapes 

 its way through the ground, when it is forming the sub- 

 terranean passages in which it takes up its abode. The 

 Mole, though it is supposed not to possess the advantage 

 of sight, has the senses of hearing and feeling in great 

 perfection ; and its fur, which is short and thick, is set 

 erect from its skin, so as not to impede its progress 

 whether it goes forward or backwards along its runs. 

 These runs are very curiously constructed : they cross 

 each other at different points, but all lead to a nest in 

 the centre, which the Mole makes his castle, or place 

 of abode. The passages are made by the Mole in his 

 search after the earth-worms and grubs, on which he 

 lives; and the molehills are formed by the earth he 

 scrapes out of his runs. These molehills do a great deal 

 of mischief to grass lands, as they render the ground 

 very difficult to mow ; and on this account mole-catchers 

 are employed to fix traps in the ground, so that when the 

 mole is running through one of his passages, he passes 

 through the trap, which instantly springs up out of 



