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I have never found its nesting-place, and if descriptions of 

 the nest and young of this species have been published, I have 

 overlooked them. 



At French Creek, Upshur County, I found this mole work- 

 ing in the soil of a grassy lawn, in fertile earth about a barn 

 and other outbuildings, in an old woodyard where decaying 

 chips formed a deep moist soil, in grassy orchards and in open 

 places in the woods. An individual, or a pair, would frequently 

 be found operating in one small patch of ground for a week or 

 more at a time. This activity at a certain place would be indi- 

 cated by the daily appearance of new ridges and hills. I have 

 never found more than two old moles working such a digging 

 at one time, although in favorable spots, when the original 

 operators were captured, others would soon appear and take 

 their places. The surface disturbances of the soil seemed to 

 occur most frequently in the early morning and late evening, 

 and I came to the conclusion that the moles are more active by 

 day than by night. I have several times seen the earth in the 

 hills heaving, as a result of the activities of the animal within, 

 during a downpour of rain at mid-day. 



When a fresh digging was discovered, it was seldom very 

 much trouble to capture the one or two moles that were operat- 

 ing it by standing guard over the place for an evening or two 

 with a long-handled shovel. When the motion of the soil in one 

 of the hills showed that the mole was near the surface the shovel 

 would be thrust under it and the mole thrown out with a shovel- 

 ful of earth. I have on several occasions delved into a hill with 

 my naked hand and secured a mole. In capturing them in this 

 way I was surprised to find that they would not bite, as a 

 mouse or shrew would most certainly have done under similar 

 circumstances. At one time I caught a mole when about half 

 a mile from home. I placed in in my coat pocket for safe 

 keeping, but it proved to be so lively that to prevent its escaping, 

 I was forced to hold it with my hand. It struggled and scratched 

 most vigorously but did not bite, although held without regard 

 to the proximity of the mouth. 



