Notes on the Mole. 23 



and my cat heard the noise also, and became very uneasy, try- 

 ing to lift up the lid of the box, and catch the inhabitant. 



After reducing pussy to reason, and making him understand 

 that moles were not mice, I proceeded to give the animal a 

 second supply of worms. He was just as furious about them as 

 he had been with the former batch, and ate them as rapidly as 

 before ; inclusive of the time occupied in digging up the worms, 

 fourteen were eaten in thirteen minutes. The second batch 

 consisted of ten worms, all rather large, and these were as 

 quickly devoured. 



Wishing to know whether he would eat the common Julus 

 millipede, I put a fine one on his track. As soon as he felt its 

 writhing form touch his feet, he pounced on it as he had done 

 with the worms, and scrambled it under his nose. As soon, 

 however, as the sensitive snout touched the millipede, the mole 

 threw up his head, and with one of his fore-paws chucked — 

 there is no other word that expresses the action — the julus on 

 one side, flinging it about two or three inches away. 



I tried this experiment several times, and always found that 

 the mole flung the julus away in the same manner. There was 

 something inexpressibly ludicrous in the change of manner that 

 came over the animal whenever he found that he had seized a 

 julus instead of a worm, and the contemptuous air with which 

 the millipede was tossed aside was most absurd. 



About 8 p.m. I resumed the fork and spade for the purpose 

 of procuring the mole's supper. Having heard from popular 

 report that a twelve hours' fast would kill a mole, I determined 

 to afford the creature a bountiful supply of food late in the 

 evening, and then to give him his breakfast about 5.30 or 6 a.m. 

 next morning. 



So I dug perseveringly until I had captured a large handful 

 of worms, and about 9 p.m. I put them into the box. As the 

 mole went backwards and forwards, he happened to touch one 

 of the worms, and immediately flew at it. While trying to get 

 its head into his mouth, he came upon the whole mass of worms, 

 and flung himself upon them in a perfect delirium of excitement. 

 He kicked them backwards and forwards under his body, he 

 trampled over them, he pulled them about, and seemed so over- 

 joyed at his treasure that he could not settle upon any one indi- 

 vidual. At last, however, he caught one of the worms, and 

 began to crunch it, the rest uncoiling their many folds, making 

 their escape in all directions, and burrowing into the loose 

 mould. 



Thinking that the animal was now well supplied for the 

 night, some two dozen worms having been put into the box, I 

 shut him up with an easy conscience. 



Now, it so happened that on the following morning the rain 



