78 THE ZOOLOGIST 



EDITORIAL GLEANINGS. 



" A Contribution to our Knowledge of the Mole (Talpa europaa) " 

 is the title of a paper contributed by Mr. Lionel E. Adams to the 

 ' Memoirs and Proceedings of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical 

 Society ' (1903). This memoir is a somewhat exhaustive one. It refers 

 to the whole literature on the subject, from Le Court (1798), Saint- 

 Hilaire (1829), Blasius (1857), to modern writers. A number of 

 illustrations are given to show the different structures of Mole- 

 fortresses, and the writer concludes that "these galleries are the 

 natural, incidental, and inevitable outcome of the work of excavating 

 the nest-cavity, and piling up the superincumbent mound." There is 

 a seemingly enormous proportion of males to females in this animal, 

 but Saint- Hilaire discovered by dissection that the virgin Mole has the 

 same external appearance as the male, and Mr. Adams has given a 

 full translation of the main points in Saint-Hilaire's demonstration. 

 Amongst the enemies of the Mole, the author mentions a fox-terrier of 

 his, who successfully hunted these animals. The writer of this notice 

 also once possessed a fox-terrier whom he scarcely ever took out for a 

 ramble over and in the Surrey hills and valleys without one or more 

 Moles being found, killed, and triumphantly produced by his canine 

 companion, and this without the slightest incitement. 



' The Asian Sporting Newspaper ' for Dee. 13th, 1902, has given a 

 full biographical estimation of Dr. P. L. Sclater, who, as generally 

 known, has vacated the post he has so long and ably held as Secretary 

 of the Zoological Society of London. One paragraph may at least find 

 place here : — 



" When Mr. Sclater took over the reins of the Society in 1859 the 

 number of Fellows on its roll was 1716, the income for the previous 

 year £14,034, and the number of admissions to the gardens 333,980. 

 For the last year of the century the number of Fellows was 3250, the 

 income £28,772, and the number of admissions 697,178. A greater 

 and more satisfactory progress during forty years could scarcely be 

 expected, or even desired. And all this is mainly, if not entirely, due 

 to the untiring and ceaseless energy of the Secretary." 



