160 MOUNTAIN AND MOORLAND 



seldom seen, is the Mole. Without wishing to make 

 a mountain of a molehill, we must admit that there 

 are too many of them here. Partly, we suppose, 

 because there are so many Earthworms, and partly 

 because the soil is very easily worked. We must not 

 linger too long, but it is interesting to think of the 

 Mole as a bundle of adaptations. That is always one 

 of the rewarding ways of thinking about living 

 creatures. The hand, turned outwards, forms a broad 

 shovel, and it is helped by an extra " sickle " bone to 

 the inside of the thumb. The shoulder girdle is very 

 strong, and the muscles fastened to it are like those 

 of an athlete. The long, muscular, sensitive snout is 

 well suited for probing into the ground and is 

 strengthened by a special bone near the tip. The 

 eyes, like tiny black dots and difficult to find, are 

 hidden among the hair and thus saved from being 

 rubbed; the absence of a projecting ear-trumpet is an 

 adaptation to reduce friction in burrowing; and there 

 must be some fitness in the way the short hairs stand 

 out vertically without any " set." There will be great 

 gain from our studies if we strengthen the habit of 

 enquiring into the fitnesses of animals to the diverse 

 circumstances of their life. 



Leaving the meadow, we pass on to the hillside, and 

 the stream changes its character. It is much more in 

 a hurry and there are many little falls. The bed is 

 rough with stones, often projecting on the surface 

 and breaking the current into bubbles. This is one of 

 the stretches where we always see the Water Ouzel 

 or Dipper, and we believe that it is the particular 

 preserve of a particular pair who are oftener apart 

 than together. It is interesting to notice that although 



