38 



NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 66 



mountains it is replaced by the hairy -tailed mole. In Mason County, 

 W. Va., McKeever et al. (1952, p. 25) found an eastern mole inhabit- 

 ing the sandy soil of the Ohio Eiver bottomland and a hairy-tailed 

 mole in the nearby forest-covered hills. This distribution occurs in the 

 Appalachians in general, including the Kidge and Valley and Alle- 

 gheny Mountain sections of Maryland. 



The eastern mole does not hibernate, but is active the year round. 

 It constructs a series of burrows just beneath the surface of the ground 

 during wet weather to facilitate the capture of earthworms which 

 form a major part of its diet. In dry and cold weather this species digs 

 deeper permanent burrows some 10 or more inches below the surface. 

 Rarely does the eastern mole emerge from its subterranean burrows 

 and prowl about above ground. A nest is built in one of the permanent 

 burrows, which may be from 5 to 18 inches down, usually under the 

 roots of shrubs or stumps. It is most often made from grass and root- 

 lets, but occasionally leaves are employed. This nest is placed on the 

 bottom of a flattened ellipsoidal enlargement of the tunnel, the length 

 of which is about 8 inches and the diameter about 5. 



Mating in this species takes place in March and continues into April. 

 The young are bom in the latter part of April or in May. The gesta- 

 tion period is about 45 days, and from two to five young are bom each 

 season. By the time a young mole is 5 weeks of age it is more than half 

 the size of the mother. 



Eighty percent of the diet of the eastern mole is animal matter, con- 

 sisting primarily of worms, insects, and insect larvae. Some of the 

 favorite foods are beetles, earthworms, wireworms, white grubs, spi- 

 ders, centipedes, millipedes, slugs, and insect and mollusk eggs. Some 

 of the plant matter consumed are com, potatoes, grass, tomatoes, ap- 

 ples and occasionally wheat and oats. The eastern mole is a voracious 

 eater and in 24 hours may consume a quantity of food equal to its 

 weight. 



Moles are harmful when they disfigure lawns and provide highways in gardens 

 for field and pine mice. Their destruction of insects places them in a more favor- 

 able light. A friend once told me that these moles had almost eliminated the 

 larvae of Japanese beetles on his grounds. Tunneling activities of moles aid in 

 the formation of soil. (Hamilton, 1^, pp. 23^24) . 



Specimens examined. — Allegany County: Cumberland, 3 (Coll. U. 

 Md.) . Aome Ao^ndel County: Annapolis, 3 miles NW, 1 ; no exact lo- 

 cality, 2. Baltimore City: 2. Calvert County: Chesapeake Beach, 1; 

 Plum Point, 1; Solomons, 4 miles N, 1. Charles County : Newport, 3. 

 Howard County : no exact locality, 1 (embryo in alcohol). Montgom- 

 ery County : Cabin John, 2 ; Capitol View, 1 ; Chevy Chase, 1 ; Plum- 

 mers Island, 5 ; Rock\dlle, 2 ; Seven Locks, 1 ; Silver Spring, 4 ; Wood- 

 side, 4. Prince Georges County : Beltsville, 2 ; Berwyn, 1 ; Branch ville, 



