The "Mooting" of Moles. 131 



well laid out ; though the writer in question pronounces 

 it "ignorance," describing his own mole-catcher as star- 

 ing like a lunatic " when I told him rather than kill them 

 he would do me a favour if he would bring me a cartload 

 of live moles, and turn them down in my field." No 

 doubt the mole-catcher did stare, nor any wonder at his 

 doing so ; for if among farmers a vote were taken as to 

 which of the two was the lunatic, the newspaper writer 

 would find himself hoisted high on his own petard. 



THE "MOOTING" OF MOLES. 



The lore relating to talpa seems absolutely inexhaust- 

 ible. A large volume might be written about the habits 

 of this underground animal, every page, telling of some- 

 thing strange. The more I observe, the greater grows 

 my record of facts relating to it, many of them to me 

 quite incomprehensible. As, for instance, I cannot 

 understand how the creature works its way through wet 

 earth mud it may be proceeding at a pace faster than 

 the most adroit spadesman can dig after it, and yet no 

 morsel of the soil adhering to its smooth, velvety coat, 

 which comes out of the ordeal clean as a new kid glove ! 

 I am aware of the usual explanation put forth about its 

 fur standing on end, or rather lying any way it may be 

 stroked. The premises are right enough, but the con- 

 clusion seems a lame one. Such may account for the 

 animal being able to go tail foremost along its subterra- 

 nean galleries as it does when these are too narrow for it 



