Notes on the Mole, 21 



NOTES ON THE MOLE. 



BY THE EEV. J. G. WOOD, M.A., F.L.S. 



A few days ago, a deputation of young friends brought me a 

 fine specimen of the common mole, which they had captured in 

 Belvedere Park. The creature had evidently contrived to get 

 upon a patch of hard ground — the gravel comes to the surface 

 in this locality — and before it could make its way below the 

 stony ground, it was pounced upon and secured. The little 

 captive was not in the least injured, and I transferred him to 

 a rather large box, which I placed in the garden. 



He ran about the box with great agility, thrusting his long 

 and flexible snout into every crevice, and paying especial atten- 

 tion to the corners, in each of which he scratched perseveringly 

 for some minutes. Seeming at last to make up his mind that he 

 could not escape, he screwed himself into a corner, poked his 

 muzzle into the darkest recess, and remained motionless as if 

 dead. I then quietly introduced a few spadefulls of earth into 

 the box, and scattered a little of the fresh soil under the crea- 

 ture's nostrils. New life seemed to be infused into the mole by 

 the contact of the earth, and, Antseus-like, he inspired fresh 

 vigour from the touch of mother Tellus. 



The mole traversed the box with wonderful rapidity, pushing 

 his way through the loose soil, entering and re-entering the 

 heap, and in a few moments had scattered the earth tolerably 

 evenly over the box. Every now and then the whole skin gave 

 a quick convulsive shake, which had the effect of throwing the 

 loose earth from the fur. This peculiar shake, or twitch, was 

 really a curious sight. At one moment the mole was grubbing 

 away, hardly to be distinguished from the surrounding soil, so 

 completely was the fur covered with the dusty particles ; sud- 

 denly a spasmodic shudder passed through the body, and in a 

 moment the moving dust-heap had vanished, and in its place 

 was manifest the soft, velvet coat of the mole. 



The creature was unremitting in his attempts to escape from 

 the box. After satisfying himself that he really could not burrow 

 through a deal-board — a lesson which was not learned until 

 after many attempts and as many failures — the creature tried to 

 scramble over the sides, and stood perseveringly on his hind 

 legs, scraping pertinaciously at the smooth wood, and ever and 

 anon slipping sideways, and coming on his fore-feet. 



The mobility of the long snout is really astonishing. The 

 animal moves quickly about with an uncertain kind of gait, now 

 to one side and now to the other, popping the nose here and 

 there so rapidly that the eye can hardly follow its movements. 



The senses of sight and smell seem to be practically obso- 



