XX 



THE STRENUOUS MOLE 



We read in the books of the astounding strength 

 and energy of this creature that " swims in the 

 earth," as they say, just as a diving auk, guillemot, 

 or puffin does in the water. The energy of a 

 squirrel that runs up a very tall tree-trunk, darts 

 along a far-reaching horizontal branch, flings him- 

 self from the end of it to the branch of another 

 tree, and is a hundred feet high and away before 

 you can finish speaking a sentence of twenty words, 

 is nothing to compare with the feats of the mole 

 underground. But, being out of sight, he is out 

 of mind, on which account his most remarkable 

 qualities are not properly appreciated. He is also 

 a small beast — no bigger than a lady's gloved 

 hand — consequently his strength, like that of the 

 beetle, does not matter to us. It would matter a 

 great deal if moles grew to the size of cows and 

 bulls. In or under London they would excavate 

 numberless tunnels which would serve as subways 

 for the foot-passengers and for the tubular rail- 

 ways. This would be an advantage, but as a set- 

 off they would, in throwing up their hills, cause a 



225 Q 



