Manchester Memoirs, Vol. xlviii. (1904), No. 1^0. 



XX. Note on the Eye of the Mole. 



By F. A. Bruton, M.A. 



Received April 16th, read April 26th, 1^04. 



On November i8th, 1902, a paper entitled " A con- 

 tribution to our knowledge of the Mole," by Mr. Lionel 

 Adams, was communicated to the Society by Dr. Hoyle, in 

 which reference was made to the statement by St. Hilaire 

 that " the eye of the mole is more developed in the foetus 

 than in the adult." I happen to have been making some 

 observations of Moles, and as two specimens which I have 

 found in traps this year have turned out to be females 

 with young, I thought members may like to see how well 

 the eye is shewn in the foetus. Mr. Adams stated that 

 the earliest date at which he had found a foetal litter was 

 April 1 3th, and these he estimated were within three days 

 of birth. The first mole I examined was trapped on 

 April 1st, so that the young, five in number, and ^ inch 

 long, were probably within several weeks of birth. The 

 second was taken on April 23rd. The young in this case 

 were six in number, and about i ^ inch in length. In both 

 instances the eye of the foetus may be easily and distinctly 

 seen without the aid of a lens, and when the foetus was 

 taken from the uterus it appeared as a clear black circle, 

 apparently unprotected, about half way between the ear 

 and the tip of the snout. Other points well shewn in the 

 foetus are the ear, the tongue, the snout, and the front 

 claw. 



In the Proceedings of the Zoological Society (Part 

 xix. 185 1, p. 129) there is a detailed account of the 



June loth, igo4. 



