COMMON AMERICAN SHREW MOLE. 85 



cient supply ; forty or fifty worms of moderate size, did not appear too 

 much, for its seemingly insatiable appetite. At the expiration of four 

 days, another of this species which we had in confinement, would not 

 touch any vegetable substances, although the cage was filled with clods 

 covered w^ithfine clover, pieces of sweet apples, bread, &c. 



We were much interested in observing that no matter how soiled its 

 coat might have become in the cage, it would resume its beauty and 

 glossiness after the mole had passed and re-passed through the earth, eight 

 or ten times, which it always accomplished in a few minutes. We fre- 

 quently remarked with surprise the great strength of this animal, which 

 enabled it to lift the lid or top of a box in which it was kept although it 

 was large and heavy ; the box-top was not however fastened do^\'Tl. 

 Seating ourselves quietly in the room, after putting back the mole into the 

 box, the animal supposing itself no longer watched, very soon raised its 

 body against the side of the box, which was partly filled with earth, and 

 presently its snout was protruded through the small space between the 

 box and the cover ; and after a few efiibrts the creature got his fore-feet 

 on to the edge of the box, raised itself over the latter, and fell upon a table 

 on which we had placed the box. It immediately ran to the edge of the 

 table, and thence tumbled on to the floor ; this, however, did not at all in- 

 commode it, for it made off to a dark corner of the room at once, and re- 

 mained there until again replaced in its prison. 



When this Mole was fed on earth-worms, (Lumbricus terrenus,) as we 

 have just related, we heard the worms crushed in the strong jaws of the 

 animal, with a noise somewhat like the grating of broken glass, which 

 was probably caused by its strong teeth gnashing on the sand or grit con- 

 tained in the bodies of the worms. These were placed singly on the ground 

 near the auimak^which after smelling around for a moment turned about 

 in every direction with the greatest activity, until he felt a worm, when he 

 seized it between the outer surface of his hands or fore-pa^A^s, and pushed 

 it into his mouth wth a continually repeated forward movement of the 

 paws, cramming it downward until all was in his jaws. 



Small sized earth-worms, were dispatched in a verj' short time ; the ani- 

 mal never failing to begin with the anterior end of the worm, and appa- 

 rently cutting it as he eat, into small pieces, until the whole was devoured. 

 On the contrary, when the earth-worm ^vas of a large size, the Mole seem- 

 ed to find some difficulty in managing it, and munched the worm side- 

 ways, moving it from one side of its mouth to the other. On these occa- 

 sions the gritting of its teeth, which we have already spoken of, can be 

 heard at the distance of several feet. 



We afterwards put the Mole into a large wire rat-trap, and to our sur- 



