98 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



been incurred some time, as the wounds were quite healed up. Part of the 

 skin on one side, for about an inch, had been ripped up and was hanging 

 loose with the fur still attached, and underneath this loose hanging skin 

 new fur had grown. Do not these facts show well for the vitality as well as 

 for the pugnacity of the Mole? — E. P. Larken (Gatton Tower, Reigate). 



The Eye of the Mole. — Carl Hess, the German naturalist, has proved 

 by minute microscopical investigation that the eye of the Mole is perfectly 

 capable of seeing, and that it is not short-sighted, as another naturalist 

 (Kadyi) would have us believe. Hess maintains that, in spite of its minute 

 dimensions, — I millimetre by 0*9 millimetre, — the eye of this little 

 creature possesses all the necessary properties for seeing that the most 

 highly-developed eye does ; that it is, indeed, as well suited for seeing as 

 the eye of any other mammal, and that in the matter of refraction it does 

 not differ from the normal eye. In order to bear out the theory of short- 

 sightedness, the physiological reason was adduced that in its subterranean 

 runs the Mole is accustomed to see things at close distances, and that its 

 eye had become gradually suited to near objects. But to this Hess objects 

 that the Mole when under ground most probably makes no use of his eyes 

 at all, as it would be impossible to see anything owing to the absence of 

 light ; but that when he comes to the surface, and especially when he is 

 swimming, he does use his eyes. In order to accomplish this, he only has 

 to alter the erect position of the hairs which surround and cover his eyes, 

 and which prevent the entry of dirt when he is under ground, and at the 

 same time to protrude his eyes forward. — Nature. 



Bank Vole and Short-tailed Vole in North Cheshire. — Early 

 in January, 1889, I noticed that the bark of many of the holly-bushes 

 growing in a roadside hedge near Northenden village had been gnawed off 

 to such an extent as to completely strip twigs the thickness of my little 

 finger for a space of four inches or more. After remaining quite still for a 

 few minutes, I was rewarded by seeing a Vole come out of the grass in the 

 hedge-bottom and climb up into the hedge to resume the meal which I had 

 disturbed. Within haif-an-hour I saw half-a-dozen Voles, all at work, some 

 close to the ground, others more than two feet from the hedge-bottom ; they 

 did not touch the hazel, hawthorn, or briars in the hedge, but confined their 

 attentions entirely to the hollies. Thinking that possibly some of the Voles 

 might be Arvicola glareolus,—& species not, I believe, hitherto recorded 

 from Cheshire, — I set several traps in the hedge, and others in a dry ditch 

 about a mile away. I had the traps down for about three weeks, and caught 

 several Field Voles, A. agrestls, and two or three Long-tailed Field Mice, 

 Mus sylvaticus, in the hedge, but no examples of A. glareolus. The trap 

 used was the ordinary box-shaped mouse-trap with a falling door, and baited 

 with a piece of bread. I also tried almonds and cheese at first, but never 



