WILD CREATURES OF GARDEN AND HEDGEROW 



chooses a nursery. She has no intention of 

 throwing up a great mound to cover her babies, 

 for a warm well-hned nest under an inconspi- 

 cuous httle heap will do just as well now the 

 weather is finer, so setting to work she soon 

 has all in readiness. Soft grass and shredded 

 leaves line the nursery, and here her young are 

 born. They are naked pink babies, and may 

 number from two up to seven or eight, but four 

 or five is the usual number. They grow very 

 fast, a grey tinge about the body foretelling 

 their velvety coat. In a few weeks' time this 

 is fully grown, when, being now quite active, 

 they are able to wander out into their dark 

 world after their mother. 



Even the colouring of the mole is probably 

 connected with the underground life it leads, 

 for nearly all the smaller animals that live above 

 ground are some shade of brown, that hue 

 being the least noticeable when a creature is 

 running about in the shadowy spaces between 

 the low growing plants and grasses. Now 

 black is too noticeable for an animal that has 

 to face the light of day, but of course makes 

 no difference to one hidden underground. 

 Strictly speaking a live mole is not black; it 

 is a beautiful sheeny dark grey, rippling and 

 162 



