124 NOTES TO THE 



The Squire had not one of Mr. Bateson's vermin annihilators, 

 by means of which sulphur smoke can be pumped into rat- 

 holes. 1 had fancied that the smoke I intended to pump in 

 would show me the run of the moles' burrowiugs. I therefore 

 got from the gardener the apparatus for smoking his plants. I 

 found some fresh molehills, I knocked off the loose earth from 

 the top of a molehill, and then pumped into the run strong 

 smoke made from tobacco and brown-paper. The smoke im- 

 mediately came out of several of the moles' hillocks, which 

 smoked like young volcanoes. I then traced out Mr. Mole's 

 tunnels by means of a spud, but I had not power enough in the 

 bellows to blow in the smoke a long way so as to start " the 

 little gentleman in black." Mr. Davy informed me that directly 

 the smoke is blown in, Mr. Mole " takes his hook," and while 

 the smoke ascends through the mole-hills he works himself deep 

 into the earth. Cunning rascals, these moles ! I shall give 

 them another turn some other day. The Squire's keeper in- 

 formed me that the moles invariably worked at eight, twelve, 

 and four regularly every day. He took me some little distance 

 to a footpath running across the park, and pointed out how the 

 mole literally had two "diggins," or castles, one on each side of the 

 path, and that he had one tunnel to cross this path, just like 

 the passage in the Houses of Parliament that connects the 

 House of Lords with the House of Commons. 



Moles certainly have eyes. Blow the fur backwards, and two 

 very tiny black specks can be seen ; these are the eyes. The 

 optic nerves are small, but they exist. A dried mole should 



be taken off the bushes where the 

 mole-catchers have hanged moles. If 

 the dry skin is carefully cut off the 

 head, the orifices of the eyes will be 

 easily seen the anatomy of this 

 most interesting and curious little 

 beast will also be readily made out. 

 Soak one of these dry moles in warm ' 

 DIGUING p*w OF THE MOLE. water cut off the skin with scissors, 

 and a skeleton can be easily made. 



The skeleton of the mole is one of the most striking instances 

 of structure designedly adapted to habits in the whole animal 

 kingdom. The little lancet-like teeth are specially beautiful. 

 Here is the wonderful digging paw of the mole ; it is worked by 

 very powerful muscles. 



HOODED CROW, p. 170. The hooded crow (Gorvus comix) does 

 not often breed in the South of England. Orkney and Shetland 



