OF MOLES IN GENERAL. 215 



Cape of Good Hope; and one, the Common Mole, 

 in Europe. 



They are, for the most part, harmless animals, 

 except where, in cultivated countries, their num- 

 bers become very great. In this case they some- 

 times prove injurious to the labours and industry 

 of the farmer. 



The fur of all the species is peculiarly soft and 

 fine. 



THE COMMON MOLE*. 



MOLD-WARP, OR WANT. 



IT is asserted that the Mole has not hitherto been 

 discovered to inhabit any part of Ireland. If this 

 be correct, it is a very surprising fact, since the ani- 

 mal is an inhabitant of almost all the cultivated 

 grounds of Great Britain. It is chiefly found in those 

 where the soil is loose and fertile. Here its sub- 

 terraneous labours are carried on with great ease; 

 and it has a full supply of nutriment in the roots, 

 worms, and larva of insects, which always abound in 



* Talpa Europea. Linnceus. La Taupe. Buffbn. 

 For the Description of the Mole, see the Synopsis, p. 35, No. 49. 



P 4t * such 



