THE MOLE 



273 



On brushing aside the earth, wliich is 

 usually linely pulverised, one sometimes 

 finds a deep, perpendicular down-shalt, 

 sometimes an opening in a horizontal 

 run. I indine to the opinion that the 

 hillocks mean that the Mole is feeding, 

 and that they are composed of the earth 

 which he scratches out at random in the 

 pursuit of worm or insect. If my assump- 



his caiJtures in three motions. First he 

 would point, with a back glance from the 

 corner of his eye, which plainly asked 

 anyone accompanying him to keep quiet; 

 then he woukl slowly rear on his hind 

 legs ; then he would fling forward, and, 

 I think, pin the Mole with his fore feet. 

 Another second and the poor little 

 " gentleman in black " was flung high in 



DENTITION OF THE MOLE. 

 '• Grinding surface of worn lower molars. 2. Right lower jaw. 



3. Upper jaws. The protuberance at the top is the bony cartilage which supports the nose. 



tion be correct, we must imagine the Mole 

 to leave his nest when hungry, and to 

 speed along his main runs until he locates 

 by scent some worm or insect. This he 

 scratches out and devours. When his 

 appetite is satisfied he proceeds to tidy 

 up. Should his captures have been 

 effected deep below the surface, he drives 

 a clearance-shaft the shortest way up- 

 wards ; should he have been feeding from 

 a surface run he rears a hillock immediately 

 above it, or slightly to one side of it. In 

 the latter case one can sometimes catch 

 him by driving the heel down and so 

 cutting off his retreat. Some dogs are 

 extraordinarily clever in detecting the 

 movements of a Mole working close to 

 the surface. A terrier (k)g of my ac- 

 quaintance, the best Mole-catcher I have 

 known, had drilli'fl liimsclt to acconi])lisli 



35 



the air. Should this dog happen to miss 

 (he seldom did miss), he wasted no time 

 in futile scratching. He knew better. 



The strength of a Mole, in proportion 

 to his size, is prodigious, and the arrange- 

 ment of the muscles of his shoulder and 

 fore-arm is such that he can e.xert his 

 ma.ximum strength by the sweep of his 

 hands from a point close to the end of 

 his nose to one well behind his shoukler. 

 Several experiments, made with a view 

 to determining his strength, have been 

 recorded. I ha\e a note of a curious one 

 of my own which had the demerit of being 

 purely accidental. A cage in which I 

 once enclosed a lively Mole hatl as its 

 only j)ossible exit a half-})late printing 

 frame. The Mole escaped by forcing his 

 way between the rebate antl back of this 

 |];imc. To do this he had to o\-ercome 



