Clafs I. MOLE. m 



■words of that author •, and compare them with thofe 

 of our illuRrioLis countryman, Mr. Ray *. 



The mole breeds in the fpring, and brings four or 

 live young at a time : it makes its nefl: of mofs, and 

 that always under the largeft hillock, a little below the 

 furface of the ground. The mole is obferved to be 

 moH adive, and to caft up moft earth, immediately 

 before rain : and in the winter before a thaw ; becaufe 

 at thofe times the worms and infeds begin to be in mo- 

 tion, and approach the furface : on the contrary, in 

 very dry weather, this animal feldom or never forms 

 any hillocks, as it penetrates deep after its prey, which 

 at fuch feafons retires far into the ground. The mole 

 Ihews great art in fkinning a worm, which it always 

 does before it eats its Gripping the ftin from end to 

 end, and fqueezing out all the contents of the body. 



Thefe animals do incredible damage in gardens, 

 and meadows 5 by loofening the roots of plants^, 

 Howers, grafs, corn, i^c. Mortimer fays, that the 

 roots of P alma chrijii and white hellelore^ made into a 

 paftcj and laid in their holes, will dellroy them. 

 They feem not to have many enemies among other 

 animals, except in Seotknd^ where (if we may depend 



* La taupe fans etre aveugle, a les yeux 11 petis, fi couverts, 

 qu'elle ne peut faire grand ufage du fens de la vue : en dedojjimagc- 

 ment la nature hi a donne wvec magnijicence Pn/age du Jixieme fens, &C,. 



Mr. Ray makes the iatter obferv'ation ; but forms from it a con- 

 clufion much more folid and moral. TcJiesTna.ximos, paraflatas am- 

 pliffimas, no'vum corpus feminale ab his di-verfu7n etfeparatum — —penerrt 

 eti am facile omnium, nifallor, aiiimaliiim hng^Jftnum: ex quihiis coUigen 

 eji maximam free reliquis onmibiis animalibus ^u(iluptate?n in coitu hoc 

 ahjeSlum et ^ile animalculum percipsre,. ut hahsant quod ip/l iwvideant, 

 qui in hoc fup-ema$mita fusg diliciat colkcant, Raji /jn, quad, 238, 

 239. 



on 



