40 UNDER THE OPEN SKY 



not he is often forced to travel backwards 

 through his burrow. Then his tail must 

 serve him as an effective guide. 



nature's use for the mole 



When Nature wants something done, her 

 plan is to inveigle an animal into doing it. 

 The mole is bent only on catching earth- 

 worms. He makes his long burrow near 

 the surface, and then travelling up and 

 down its length he picks up all the worms 

 that stumble into his way, his slender nose 

 serving as an effective instrument for with- 

 drawing them from their burrows. I think, 

 too, he eats the beetles and cut-worms that 

 lie in his path. 



But while he is intent on his own work he 

 is at the same time loosening up the soil and 

 letting the air through it, and mixing up the 

 leaf-mould with the earth, thus enriching 

 the land. It is aggravating to see the ridges 

 that mar the surface of our lawns and gar- 

 dens, but we must put up with that for the 

 sake of the good of the soil. Besides I sus- 

 pect his claim to the land is older than ours. 



