BRITISH MAMMALS 



Mole. — ^As with the Hedgehog, so with the Mole. 

 Dead specimens are frequently forthcoming, but we 

 know very little of its home affairs, and there is much 

 information still to be gained. In addition to being of 

 nocturnal habits, the Mole, of course, is an underground 

 dweller. At times it may be seen above the soil, or its 

 movements noticed burrowing just beneath, but that is 

 all. 



Admirably fashioned for the life it leads, reminding us 



of a velvet-coated torpedo, this mammal (Fig. 6) in- 

 geniously tunnels its way through the soil, throwing up 

 hillocks of earth as it proceeds, both for the purpose of 

 getting rid of the surplus soil, and also that they may 

 serve the purpose of air-shafts. It shows a liking for 

 districts where the soil is rich and damp, and whole 

 areas of low-lying meadows are riddled with its borings, 

 and made conspicuous by its hillocks of earth. It has a 

 plump, rounded body, with small eyes and ears embedded 

 in silky fur, and short legs, armed on the front pair with 



five remarkable claws. It is thus splendidly equipped 

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