92 



"In motion the fore feet are thrust forward at the sides, with 

 the edges answering to the thumb of a man's hand, placed downward, 

 and the nails taking hold in the earth ; the body is drawn along with 

 ease and rapidity, as a row-boat is propelled by oars, the hind legs carry- 

 ing the posterior parts. Those I have observed burrowing through un- 

 broken soil appeared to loosen the earth in front with the long snout, 

 and then to thrust it aside with the fore feet by the same movement 

 which carried the body forward, the ground being raised above by the 

 upward pressure of its powerful head and shoulders. The snout was 

 kept in constant motion, undoubtedly as much in search of food as to 

 loosen the particles of earth for the passage of the body." — Kennicott. 



The mole constantly furrows the ground in search of insects which it 

 usually finds within two or three inches of the surface. It rarely goes 

 deeper, unless in winter or very dry weather, when the insects are deeper. 



It is not known that this mole departs from its insectivorous habits 

 Kennicott observed that specimens kept in confinement ate sparingly of 

 potatoes and lettuce, but died in three days, while others, kept in barrels 

 of earth in which both vegetables and softened and dry corn were abund- 

 ant, died- without eating them. 



It is not probable that this species does any injury to vegetation ; they 

 rather protect it by destroying noxious insects, and much of the mis- 

 chief attributed to them is done by the various Arvicolae and Spermophiles. 

 On certain English farms the Mole ( Talpa europea) is regarded as a ben- 

 efit, especially to grass lands and pastures. Our species is usually noc- 

 turnal, sometimes found moving on cloudy days, and very early or very 

 late on pleasant days. 



The nest is of soft grass or leaves, usually under a log or stump, nearly 

 a foot, or even more, below the surface. From five to nine young have 

 been observed ; the gravid female has been observed in February ; young 

 have been observed the last of May, and also in July. It is active in 

 winter, and if the above statements are exact, there are probably two 

 litters produced annually. 



Genus Scapanus Pomel. 



Scalops, Cuvier, Lecons d' Anat. Comp., i, 1800. 



Scapanus, Pomel,* Archives Sc. Phys, et Nat., ix, 247, 1848. — Gill, 

 Synop. Insect. Mamm.— Bull, U. S. Geol. Surv., 2d Ser., No. 2, pp. 91- 

 120. — Jordan, Manual Vertebrates, 1876, 26, First Edition. 



*NOTA. — Ce troisi^me genre difffere des soalops par la position laterale et non sup^rienre 

 de I'ouverture des narines, et par la formule dentaire oomprenant une interm6diaire 

 Bup^rieure et trois inferieures de plus. Les espeoes sont: Soapanue Toumeendii et Bre- 

 weri (Seal. Townsendii et Breiveri, Baohm.)" Archives so, Phys. et Nat., ix, 247, 1848, 



