of 



423 



parts of America, and the West Indies. Its 

 general colour is cinereous, paler beneath : 

 but though it cannot vie with most of the 

 American birds in brilliancy of plumage, 

 its own sweet and varied notes, no less than 

 its peculiar faculty of imitation, render it 

 an especial favourite, and a large price is 

 often obtained for it. To use the words of 



MOOaiNO-BIRD. (MIMTJS POtTOT.,OTTUS.) 



Wilson, " He whistles for the dog ; Caesar 

 starts up, wags his tail, and runs to meet his 

 master. He squeaks out like a hurt chicken ; 

 and the hen hurries about, with hanging 

 wings and bristled feathers, clucking to pro- 

 tect her injured brood. The barking of the 

 dog, the mewing of the cat, the creaking of 

 the passing wheelbarrow, follow with great 

 truth and rapidity. He repeats the tune 

 taught him by his master, though of con- 

 siderable length, fully and faithfully. He 

 runs over the quiverings of the canary, or 

 the clear whistlings of the Virginia nightin- 

 gale or red-bird, with such superior execution 

 and effect, that the mortified songsters feel 

 their own inferiority, and become altogether 

 silent ; while he seems to triumph in their 

 defeat, by redoubling his exertions." It 

 builds its nest in fruit-trees, feeds on berries 

 and other fruits, and is easily tamed. The 

 female lays from four to five eggs, of an ash- 

 blue colour, marked with patches of brown ; 

 she incubates fourteen days, and is extremely 

 jealous of her nest, being very apt to desert 

 it if much disturbed. 



The observant author of the ' Birds of Ja- 

 maica ' remarks, that at this time the old 

 birds are watchful and courageous, and that 

 any winged intruder, though ever so uncon- 

 scious of evil intent, or ever so large, is driven 

 away with fearless pertinacity. But the hogs 

 are the creatures that give him the most 

 annoyance. They are ordinarily fed upon 

 the inferior oranges, the fruit being shaken 

 down to them in the evenings ; hence they 

 acquire the habit of resorting to the orange 

 trees, to wait for a lucky windfall. The 

 Mocking-bird, says he, feeling nettled at the 

 intrusion, flies down and begins to peck the 

 hog with all his might : Piggy, not under- 

 standing the matter, but pleased with the 

 titillation, gently lies down and turns up his 

 broad side to enjoy it ; the poor bird gets 

 into an agony of distress, pecks and pecks 

 again ; but only increases the enjoyment of 



the luxurious intruder, and_ is at last com- 

 pelled to give up the effort in despair. 



MOLE. (Talpa Europcea.) A quadruped 

 of the genus Talpa, whose structure ad- 

 mirably fits it for a subterranean life. It is 

 from five to six inches in length : the body 

 is thick and cylindrical ; the head is much 

 prolonged, especially the muzzle, which 

 projects far beyond the jaws, and is very 

 flexible, strong, and tendinous, serving to 

 convey food to the mouth : it has no external 

 ears, but the auricular apparatus is highly 

 developed, and the sense is very acute : its 

 eyes are so very minute, and concealed by 

 its fur, that it is a vulgar opinion that it is 

 deficient in these important organs. The 



MOLE. ( 



head is not distinguished from the body by 

 any appearance of neck ; the legs are so 

 short as scarcely to project perceptibly from 

 the body ; the fore feet, situated obliquely 

 outwards, are excessively strong and broad, 

 and furnished with very large nnd stout 

 claws, so as to give the animal the power of 

 working under the surface with the utmost 

 rapidity ; the hind feet are small in propor- 

 tion to the fore feet ; and are calculated for 

 throwing back with ease the mould from be- 

 hind, during the animal's subterranean la- 

 bours. The rapidity with which the Mole 

 can make its way through a favourable soil 

 would be quite astonishing, did not its 

 whole conformation and great muscular 

 strengtli account for it. The tail is short 

 and sma_ll : the skin is much thicker and 

 tougher in proportion than in other quad- 

 rupeds, and the fur with which it is covered 

 is close set and soft as the finest velvet. The 

 food of the Mole consists chiefly of earth- 

 worms and the larvae of insects ; but it is not 

 confined to these ; for during the summer 

 months it not unfrequently leaves its sub- 

 terranean retreat, and wanders upon the 

 surface in quest of prey, such as birds, mice, 

 frogs, snails, &c. ; and during these nocturnal 

 excursions, it often meets with a vigilant 

 and successful enemy in the owl. Moles are 

 extremely voracious. We are told, that if 

 two are shut up together without food, the 

 strongest will devour the weakest, even to 

 the bones : nothing but the skin is left, which 

 they never eat, and which, when one has 

 killed the other, is always seen to be ripped 

 up along the belly. They are incapable of 

 long fasting ; if kept ten or twelve hours 

 without food, it is said they die of starvation. 

 " The farmer views the operations of the 

 Mole as destructive to his crops by exposing 

 and destroying their roots, or by overthrow- 

 ing the plants in the construction of the 

 mole-hills ; his burrows, moreover, become 

 the haunts and hiding-places of the field- 



o o 2 



