4 Bruton, Note on the Eye of the Mole. 



places he suggests that the eyes have the appearance of 

 having been injured at birth. The following passage is 

 specially interesting, as containing also a reference to the 

 existence of the pupil, the iris, the white of the eye, and 

 the optic nerves : 



rovTO Yop o'^iv ovK. £^£t * ocp^aXjULOVQ jap Iv filv ri^ 

 ^avEptjJ OVK f'x^t, a^aipe^ivTog Se tov Sip/xaToq ovrog irayioq 

 cnrb Tr}g Ktt^aXrig Kara Trjv ^wpav Trjv eE,(i) tCjv Ofxnaruiv 'iaw^iv 

 elmv ol 0^3'aXjUoi ^tE^Srapjutvoi, ttcivt et^oitec ravra to. 

 fxipri ToiQ aXTr]^ivoig' e^ouctj yap to re julXav KOt to IvTog tov 

 fxiXavog Trjv KaXov/uiivriv Kopr/v Ka\ to KuicXoiTrtov, eXaTTUj 

 fxivToi TavTa iravTa tCov ocp^aX/nMv tCov ^avepwv. Etc Se to 

 tc,w^iv ov^tv ar]fiaivti tovtwv Sta to tov Hp/xaTog Tra^oc, ojg 

 ev Tig jevicTH Trr\povfxivy]g Tr\g (pvaetog' elcsl yap cnrb tov 

 lyKScpaXov, y avvaiTTei ro^ fxvsX^, Svo TTopot vavpwBtig Ka\ 

 l(T^vpol Trap' avTag TuvovTsg Tag iSpag tmv ocp^aXfiivv TtXev- 

 TOivTiQ S' ug Tovg avii) ')(avXi6^ovTag . 



De hist, animal. Lib. IV. cap. viii. 



[^Translation. — "The mole has not sight: it has no 

 eyes visible ; but when the skin, which is thick, is taken 

 off the head, in the place where eyes \i.e. usually] appear 

 on the surface, there underneath are its eyes atrophied 

 [S/E^S-ap/xEvoi], with all their parts corresponding to those 

 of genuine eyes — the black [to fxiXav, ? the iris], and that 

 which is within the black, called the pupil, and the white 

 of the eye [kvkXwttiov, reading doubtful], but all smaller 

 than in eyes on the surface. None of these shows on the 

 surface, owing to the thickness of the skin, as though 

 their natural powers were stunted at the birth. From 

 the brain, where it joins the spinal cord [t(Z fxvsXi^] two 

 strong nerve channels run close past the sockets of the 

 eyes, ending in the upper eyeteeth."] 



