134 MARVELS OP THE ANIMAL WORLD 



its ' fortress,' is of a very complicated nature, yet, 

 notwithstanding the popular beUef, it is not con- 

 structed with the geometrical exactitude that has 

 so frequently been described. Neither do mole- 

 hills necessarily indicate that a nest is situated 

 underneath, for the little heaps of earth are thrown 

 up at intervals by the animals during their progress 

 in search of food. The dwelling-place of the mole 

 consists of a central chamber about the size of a 

 football, from whence passages or galleries run in 

 various directions ; one of them, known as the 

 ' bolt-run,' which leads downwards from the bottom 

 of the inner sanctum and then rises upwards and 

 joins another gallery leading to the field above, 

 being utilised by the creatures as a way of escape 

 in times of danger. The nest itself, made within 

 the central chamber, is composed of grass and 

 leaves. Each mole, except in the case of a female 

 with young, dwells in solitude within its own habi- 

 tation, and, consequently, the animals have the 

 name for being of a very unsociable disposition. 

 Possibly, however, they are somewhat unjustly 

 maligned in such respect, for, after all, a crowded 

 domicile would not be conducive to a happy state 

 of existence, and it two moles should happen to 

 meet one another face to face in one of the narrow 

 galleries, and each individual was determined to 

 continue its progress in a forward direction, the 

 situation thus brought about would be likely to 

 give rise to dispute and loss of temper. 



Beavers exhibit even greater sagacity and con- 

 structive ability in the making of their habitations 



