The Mole. 77 



the ground with the poor Mole in it. The female Mole 

 makes her nest at a distance from the male's castle. 

 She has young only once a year, but she has four or five 

 at a time. 



The following curious fact respecting a Mole is related 

 by Mr. Bruce. " In visiting the Loch of Clunie, I ob- 

 served in it a small island, at the distance of a hundred 

 and eighty yards from the land. Upon this island Lord 

 Airlie, the proprietor, had a castle and small shrubbery. 

 I observed frequently the appearance of fresh molehills ; 

 but for some time took it to be the water mouse, and one 

 day I asked the gardener if it was so. He replied it 

 was the Mole, and that he had caught one or two lately ; 

 but that five or six years ago he had caught two in 

 traps, and for two years after this he had observed none. 

 But about four years since, coming ashore one summer's 

 evening in the dusk, he and Lord Airlie's butler saw, at a 

 small distance upon the smooth water, an animal pad- 

 dling to and not far distant from the island ; they soon 

 closed with the feeble passenger, and found it to be the 

 Common Mole, led by a most astonishing instinct from the 

 nearest point of land, (the castle-hill,) to take possession 

 of this island. It was at this time, for about the space 

 of two years, quite free from any subterraneous inhabi- 

 tant ; but the Mole has, for more than a year past, made 

 its appearance again." 



The Mole is very pugnacious, and sometimes two of 

 the males will fight furiously till one of them is killed. 



