O'er Fell and Dale 



occurred to me to feed it to repletion and then discover 

 what would happen. After consuming an enormous 

 number of worms, large and small, and showing very 

 evident inability to swallow more, the animal bit the 

 rest to the point of disablement and stored them all 

 away in a corner of the trunk. 



There is a popular belief amongst country people 

 that the bite of a mole is very poisonous. I have been 

 bitten by moks, mice, water voles, short-tailed field 

 voles, rabbits, squirrels, and ferrets in my time, but 

 never suffered the least ill-effect from one of them. 



A curious thing about the mole's long snout is that, 

 although so muscular and engaged in such arduous work 

 by its powerful burrowing owner, if flicked by a human 

 finger, as a fly would be flicked off a window-pane, the 

 sharp, slight blow instantly kills the animal. I have 

 seen it done on several occasions by " mouldiwarp "* 

 catchers in the north. 



The mole swims quite well, and does not hesitate to 

 enter any stream that may lie in its path during 

 autumnal or spring migratory journeyings. It possesses 

 prodigious strength. A farmer, who knew a great deal 

 about the creature and its ways from practical experi- 

 ence, once told me that when it is fairly underground, 

 where it can utilize the immense leverage produced by 

 its spade-like forefeet, it can drag along a piece of lead 

 bulk for bulk as large as its own body. By way of 

 testing the strength of the wee beastie a professional 



* In many parts of the north of England the animal is still known by 

 its old Saxon name of mouldiwarp, meaning earth turner. 



I0 5 



