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The Living Animals of the World 



and one of the most prolific, as many as 

 twenty-one having been produced at birth. 

 Of all living mammals it is the one most 

 nearly allied to the Marsupials. 



THE MOLES. 



The COMMON MOLE shows a most perfect 

 adaptation to its underground mode of life. 

 The general form of the animal is long, 

 cylindrical, and pointed in front, whilst the 

 legs are exceedingly short, the foot only 

 in the fore limb projecting from the body. 

 This foot is very broad and spade-like and 

 immensely powerful, its use being to force 

 a way often with incredible speed through 

 the soft, yielding soil, and not to support 

 the body, as in running or walking. The 

 hind feet are weak, but resemble those 'of 

 its allies the shrews, for instance. The eyes 

 have become reduced to mere vestiges, very 

 difficult to find. The fur has become so 

 altered in structure that it will lie equally 

 smooth whether brushed towards head or tail, 

 so that it should not be damaged when 

 the animal travels backwards in its burrow. 

 External ears have been dispensed with. 



Worms form the staple diet of the mole, 

 but besides underground insects of all kinds 

 are greedily devoured. This animal is one of 

 the most voracious feeders, falling ravenously 

 upon its prey. It has been said with truth 



that so great is the ferocity displayed by the mole that if it could be magnified to the size 



of the lion it would be one of the most terrible of living creatures. That a constant supply of 



food is necessary to satiate its enormous 



appetite is shown by the fact that a mole 



will succumb to an abstinence of from 



ten to twelve hours. Moles fight among 



themselves furiously; and if two are 



confined together, the weaker will be 



attacked and devoured. They take 



readily to the water, and instances of 



moles observed in the act of crossing 



streams are numerous. 



It is a curious fact, but the mole 



is unknown in Ireland ; yet it ranges 



from England in the west through Asia 



to Japan. 



Careful observation seems to have 



shown that with the common mole 



males are more numerous than females. 



Whether this is true of other species 



remains to be seen. The moles of North 



I'hoto by W. SavUU-Kcnt, F.Z.S.] [< 



COBEGO ASLEEP. 



All four limbs are used in suspending itself when asleep, as in the 

 sloths. In this position the cobego closely resembles, and is mistaken by 

 its enemies for, the fruits of one of the native trees. It is a nocturnal 

 animal. 



Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.] 



THREE BABY HEDGEHOGS. 



[North Finchley. 



Young hedgehogs are bom blind and naked. The spines on their first 

 appearance are quite soft ; they soon harden, and at the same time the power to 

 roll the body up into a ball is acquired. 



