591 
Moles are found in all parts of the county excepting the flood- 
plains, but they are not in general very abundant on the bluffs or in 
cleared pastures excepting where these border on cultivated lands. 
They are fairly abundant in groves, but most so on the till plains and 
the moraines where the sod has been left unturned for a few years. 
They seem to prefer the neighborhood of cultivated lands, although 
they seldom venture far out into large fields under regular crop 
rotation. 
The depth of their burrows below the surface of the ground 
varies considerably. In spring, autumn, and in damp seasons or in 
damp places in summer the burrows are at a depth of one to three 
inches. During summer and early autumn, when the ground is 
drier, they are at a depth of from four to eight inches. Others are 
still deeper—from eighteen inches to two feet—though these burrows 
are somewhat restricted in extent and are apparently found only in 
the vicinity of their nests. 
_ The nests of moles are under logs or stumps or situated from six 
to eighteen inches—or perhaps deeper—below the surface. Those 
I have examined were made of nearly whole leaves and dried grass, 
and were all near a stump, tree, or fence. In all cases observed there 
were two or more exits, one of which led downwards to a deeper 
runway. In case a considerable area is occupied by moles, it will 
be found that runways of different moles are evidently connected, 
all burrows in the locality forming one extensive system, and it 
seems certain that many runs are used by several moles in common. 
However, in captivity moles are quarrelsome, and one can hardly 
imagine anything truly gregarious in their life. The persistence of 
the mole in keeping open a burrow once adopted as a main runway 
is remarkable. One often finds such runways crossing cow-paths or 
roadways, where they must be crushed in nearly every day, yet they 
are repaired, for months, as often as injured. 
Apparently but few observations have been recorded on the 
breeding habits of moles. Our own observations indicate that 
there is but one litter a year, produced in April or May, and that 
from three to six constitute a litter. 
The question as to how far moles may be beneficial or injurious 
to the farmer has been investigated by the State Laboratory of 
Natural History, and the results will be published in a later issue of 
this Bulletin. Only a short résumé of the results are called for here. 
