120 



only fifty of these, the nature of which was as follows: earth- 

 worms 43.2 per cent., ground beetles 22.7 per cent., grubs and 

 larvag 22.8 per cent., vegetable matter 3.7 per cent., other ma- 

 terial, largely insect eggs and ants, 7.6 per cent. (Trans. Kas. 

 Acad. ScL, Vol. 18, pp. 183-6.) 



Several years ago Mr. L. E. Adams published a very inter- 

 esting paper on the European mole, Talpa europaea, a species 

 with habits similar to some of our American moles. He shows 

 that the nests of partridges and pheasants are often robbed by 

 this species and has the following to say in regard to the quan- 

 tity of other food which it consumes. "The accounts of the 

 short periods of starvation necessary to kill a mole are borne 

 out by my observations. On one occasion I caught a vigorous 

 mole, quite unhurt, and fed him at intervals during the day 

 with about a third of a pint of worms, besides which he had 

 several drinks of water. At night, about eight o'clock, I dug 

 about a third of a pint of worms, and put them into his den 

 (a packing case with earth at the bottom) and left him. In the 

 morning I found him very feeble, thin and cold. I took him up 

 in my hand and put his nose to some water, which he seemed 

 to- enjoy, but he was too feeble to tackle a worm, and presently, 

 after a gentle convulsion, he died in my hand. I found on 

 dissecting him that the stomach was absolutely empty, in spite 

 of the fact that he had eaten every worm left for him." (Mem, 

 and Proc. Manchester Lit. and Phil. Soc. Vol 47, part 2, 1902.) 



OBSERVATIONS IN WEST VIRGINIA. 



In my observations on Brewer's mole I have never found 

 any evidence to indicate that it destroys the nests of birds, 

 except that in captivity, the moles will eat small bird's eggs. 

 When confined in a cage they feed on almost any kind of flesh 

 that may be given to them and when two or more are put to- 

 gether, the stronger individuals kill and devour the weaker. 



I kept one large mole in a box half filled with earth for 

 thirty-three days. It was fed daily on earthworms, insects, and 

 flesh of other kinds, of which it ate a surprising quantity. Sev- 



