426 THE MOLE'S FUR. 



its body is very wonderfully constructed. As its chief employment consists in digging, 

 the entire strength of the animal seems to be concentrated in the fore-quarters, where the 

 bones and muscles are developed to a marvellous extent. If the Mole be stripped of its 

 skin, the muscles of the fore-limbs will be found to be so powerful that they roll between the 

 fingers, hard, slippery, and almost incompressible. These enormous muscles give power 

 and motion to the very efficient digging apparatus with which the Mole is endowed. 



The fore-paws are extremely large, and furnished with strong and flattened nails. They 

 are turned rather obliquely, as seen in the figure on p. 423, in order to give free scope 

 to their exertions. The bones of the fore-arm are of very great thickness, and bowed 

 in that peculiar manner which always indicates enormous strength in the possessor. 

 But the most striking and curious peculiarity in the structure of the Mole is the singularly 

 long shoulder-blade, which, by its great length and strength, affords attachment to the 

 powerful muscles which alone could give the requisite force to the broad, spade-like 

 paws. The paws are devoid of the soft fur that shields the rest of the body, and are 

 covered with a thick but naked skin. It is chiefly to these paws that any mould is 

 found adherent when the Mole is captured, for the soft and velvet-like fur permits no 

 earthy stain to defile its glossy smoothness. 



The Mole's fur is remarkably fine in its texture, and is affixed to the skin in such a 

 manner that it has no particular " grain," and lies smoothly in every direction. Were 

 it not for this peculiarity, the Mole would find great difficulty in proceeding along its 

 galleries with the necessary celerity. The skin of the Mole is remarkably tough and 

 thick, and is often used by the peasantry for the purpose of making purses. The pro- 

 cess of manufacture is simple enough, consisting merely in cutting the animal across, 

 just behind the shoulders, stripping the skin from the hinder portions, drying it carefully, 

 and closing it by means of a string run round the edge. 



The Mole is said to be an excellent swimmer, and to be able to cross rivers, when 

 led to such an act by any adequately powerful motive. How far true this assertion may 

 be, I cannot prove by personal experience ; but I think that it is likely to be possible, for 

 I have seen a Mole swim across the bend of a brook a distance of some few yards 

 and perform its natatory achievement with great ease. I was not near enough to 

 ascertain the mode of its progression, but it seemed to use its fore-paws as the principal 

 instruments of locomotion. This circumstance took place in Wiltshire. 



From all accounts, the Mole seems to be a thirsty animal, and to stand in constant 

 need of water, drinking every few hours in the course of the day. In order to supply 

 this want it is in the habit of sinking well-like pits in different parts of its " runs," so 

 that it may never be without the means of quenching its thirst. Everything that the 

 Mole does is marked with that air of desperate energy which is so characteristic of the 

 animal. The laborers in different parts of England all unite in the same story, that 

 the Mole works for three hours " like a horse," and then rests for three hours, laboring 

 and resting alternately through the day, and with admirable perception of time. 



The well-known " mole-hills " which stud certain lands, and which disfigure them so 

 sadly, however much their unsightliness may be compensated by their real usefulness, 

 are of various kinds, according to the sex and age of the miner. The small hillocks which 

 follow each other in rapid succession are generally made by the female Mole before she 

 has produced her little family, and when she is not able to undergo the great labor of 

 digging in the harder soil. Sometimes the " run " is so shallow as to permit the superin- 

 cumbent earth to fall in, so that the course which the Mole has followed is little more than 

 a trench. This is said to be produced by the little coquetries that take place between the 

 Mole and its future mate, when the one flies in simulated terror, and the other follows 

 with undisguised determination. Deeper in the soil is often found a very large burrow, 

 sufficiently wide to permit two moles to pass each other. This is one of the high-roads 

 which lead from one feeding-ground to another, and from which the different shafts 

 radiate. 



But the finest efforts of talpine architecture are to be found in the central fortress, 

 from which the various roads diverge, and the nest which the maternal Mole forms for 

 the security of her young. 



The fortress is of a very peculiar construction, and is calculated to permit the ingress 



