THE COMMON AMERICAN MOLE. 



THIS mole {Sci7/ops aquattcus) is 

 the most common species in 

 the eastern portion of the 

 United States. Moles are con- 

 sidered as animals of a fairly high 

 order, on account of their forelegs' be- 

 ing developed into perfect scoops for 

 digging. They live almost entirely in 

 underground retreats, where they lead 

 a very peculiar life. They are found 

 over nearly all Europe, a great part of 

 Asia, southern Africa, and North 

 America, and their habits are in almost 

 every respect similar. Their varieties 

 are not numerous, but it is possible 

 that there are still a great many spe- 

 cies as yet unknown to naturalists. 

 They are all shaped and endowed, says 

 Brehm, in so striking a manner as to be 

 instantly recognizable. The body is 

 stout and of cylindrical shape, and 

 merges into a small head without the 

 intervention of a distinct neck. The 

 body is supported on short legs; the 

 forward pair appear to be relatively 

 gigantic digging tools, while the hind 

 limbs are longer and resemble those of 

 the rat. The teeth are from thirty-six 

 to forty four in number. 



Moles all delight in fertile plains, 

 though they are also found in moun- 

 tains. As the effect of light is painful 

 to them, the\' seldom come to the sur- 

 face, and even in the depth of the earth 

 they are more active by night than by 

 day. Their movements in their under- 

 ground passages are much more rapid 

 than when on the surface of the 

 ground, wheie they can scarcely walk. 

 They are also good swimmers when 

 compelled by necessity to resort to 

 the water. 



Of the senses of the moles it is said 

 those of smell, hearing, and touch are 

 especially well developed, while that 

 of sight is deficient. All moles are 

 quarrelsome, are addicted to vicious 

 biting, and they take pleasure in de- 

 vouring their own kind. They eat 

 only animal food, all kinds of insects 

 living under ground, worms, and the 

 like, though they also feed on small 

 mammals and birds, frogs, and snails. 

 They are exceedingly voracious, and 

 as they can endure hunger only for a 



very short lime, they do not hibernate. 

 They are undoubtedly useful as exter- 

 minators of insects, though on account 

 of their digging habits they are con- 

 sidered a nuisance by the farmer. 



It was long thought that moles were 

 blind, or had no eyes. The eyes, how- 

 ever, are about the size of a small seed, 

 lie midway between the tip of the 

 snout and the ears, and are completely 

 covered with the hair of the head. 

 They are protected by lids, and may 

 be projected or retracted at will. 



Once or twice a year the female 

 mole gives birth to from three to five 

 young. They grow rapidly, and re- 

 main with the mother for one or two 

 months. Then they begin digging on 

 their own account and require no fur- 

 ther attention. They have been found 

 to be very difficult to keep in captivity 

 by reason of their insatiable appetite. 

 As the mole is obliged constantly to 

 construct new hillocks in order to 

 secure its food, it cannot long hide 

 itself from its enemies. It digs hori- 

 zontal shafts at a slight depth from the 

 surface, and in order to remove the 

 earth it has dug up, it throws up the 

 well known hillocks. Many a beauti- 

 ful lawn has been nearly ruined by the 

 handiwork of this little creature, who 

 likes to bore its snout into loose soil 

 and throw it backward with its powerful 

 forepaws. In a single night it can un- 

 do much of the labor of the gardener. 

 In loose ground the animal is said to 

 work with really admirable rapidity. 

 Oken kept a mole in a box of sand for 

 three months, and observed the animal 

 work its way in it nearly as rapidly as 

 a fish glides through the water, snout 

 foremost, using the forepaws to throw 

 the sand to the side and the hind 

 limbs to push it backward. Lecourt, 

 wishing to investigate the speed of a 

 mole in its conduits, set up in a row a 

 number of heavy straws in the main 

 conduit, arranged so that the mole 

 could not run along the passages with- 

 out touching them. To the tops of 

 these straws he fastened small paper 

 flags, and when the mole was occupied 

 in Its hunting ground, he frightened it 

 with the sound of a bugle, and thus 



