70 OUTDOOR LIFE IN ENGLAND 



thrive well, not only because of the ants, but 

 because the soil is generally dry and suitable 

 for game-rearing. Some little knowledge of the 

 habits of the mole is requisite to ensure its capture, 

 and the professional mole-catchers know exactly 

 where to set their traps. It is said that foxes 

 are given to feeding on moles, and this is probably 

 true, though I have never found any bones similar 

 to those of a mole in the vicinity of a fox's earth. 

 I do not, however, think that a fox would take 

 the trouble to dig for a mole unless pressed for 

 food, in which case it is >very probable that he 

 would speedily shift his quarters to ' fresh fields 

 and pastures new.' 



The underground apartments of the mole are 

 very interesting and cleverly constructed, but 

 in order to examine them thoroughly great care 

 is required, as the chambers and galleries are 

 very easily displaced by the spade in the process 

 of digging down to them. They consist of one 

 large chamber or hall, surrounded by a gallery ; 

 a similar gallery also encircles the upper portion 

 of the central hall, and from these galleries 

 passages are excavated in various directions. 

 Although the mole is but imperfectly supplied 

 with the sense of sight, its power of hearing is 

 remarkably acute, and at the least alarm it speedily 

 betakes itself through one of its many passages 

 to its central hall. It feeds chiefly on worms, 

 and its object in forming these passages is for 

 the purpose of procuring its food. The mole- 



