THE COMMON MOLE. 219 



he has more than once known them to have an out- 

 let from a hole, on one side of a ditch, and an open- 

 ing to another in the bank opposite. He says, that 

 they swim with great ease and quickness. This 

 person once tried to drown a Mole ; and with that 

 intention kept it swimming about for more than 

 half an hour. He was at last necessitated to hold 

 it for some time under the water, in order to de- 

 stroy it. In the Linnean Transactions, a Mole is 

 mentioned as crossing a piece of water, near a 

 hundred and eighty yards in width, in order to ar- 

 rive at a small island which stood at that distance 

 from the bank. This was in the loch of Clunie, in 

 Scotland, the property of Lord Airly. 



When these animals are seized, after being dug 

 out of the ground, they generally utter a shrill 

 scream, which has been compared to that of a 

 child. They also exert their teeth and claws to 

 effect, if possible, their escape. The former are 

 very sharp; and when once their hold is fixed, it is 

 no easy matter to loose them again. Moles are 

 sometimes so ferocious as to attack and devour 

 each other, particularly when, in the cold weather 

 of winter, their customary food becomes scarce. 

 At this season of the year, the animals caught in 

 the traps are often half devoured before the mole- 

 catcher can arrive to take them out. 



The Moles begin to couple in the month of 

 March, and about this time it is that they are often 

 to be found in great numbers. A mole-catcher 



informed 



