SCAl.OrS A(2UATICUS. I 5/ 



in repairing their damaged galleries, and in long continued wet 

 weather we find that they seek the high grounds for security. The 

 precision with which they daily come to the surface at twelve o'clock 

 is very remarkable, and is well known in the country. In many in- 

 stances when we have watched them, they appeared exactly at twelve, 

 and at this time only have we succeeded in taking them alive, which 

 is easily done by intercepting their progress with a spade, broad 

 blade, &c., and throwing them on the surface. " '•'' 



Audubon and Bachman discourse as follows upon the feeding 

 habits of one they had in confinement : " When this Mole was fed 

 on earth-worms [Lu7nbriacs terrciiiis). as we have just related, we 

 heard the worms crushed in the strong jaws of the animal, with a 

 noise somewhat like the grating of broken glass, which was probably 

 caused by its strong teeth gnashing on the sand or grit contained in 

 the bodies of the worms. These were placed singly on the ground 

 near the animal, which after smelling around for a moment turned 

 about in every direction with the greatest activity, until he felt a 

 worm, when he seized it between the outer surface of his hands or 

 fore-paws, and pushed it into his mouth with a continually repeated 

 forward movement of the paws, cramming it downward until all was 

 in his jaws. Small sized earth-worms were dispatched in a very 

 short time ; the animal never failing to begin with the anterior end 

 of the worm, and apparently cutting it as he eat, into small pieces, 

 until the whole was devoured. On the contrary, when the earth- 

 worm was of a large size, the Mole seemed to find some difficulty in 

 managing it, and munched the worm sideways, moving it from one 

 side of its mouth to the other. On these occasions the gritting of 

 its teeth, which we have already spoken of, can be heard at a distance 



of several feet Although this species, as we have seen, 



feeds principally on worms, grubs, &c., we have the authority of 

 our friend Ogden Hammond, Esq., for the following example either 



* Loc. cit., pp. 63-64, 65. 



