OBSERVATIONS ON THE MOLE. 
less probable. At all events, as a proof that the raoles do. 
not go every day to the water, Mr Fletcher tells me, that 
his father (who followed the same profession with him- 
self) and he found them on the top of Arthur's Seat, at a 
great distance from the nearest springs, or any watejr. Pro- 
bably the reason why the moles have been thought to gO: 
every day to the water, is, that their workings are often 
found near the sides of rivers or rivulets^ or in the moist 
parts of fields, particularly in dry weather. But this arises 
from their finding most worms in those situations.-— It is 
observable, that the moles make always greatest havoc in the 
way of throwing up hillocks or heaps in the winter season^ 
or in the coldest weather. This arises from the necessity 
under which they find themselves in such a case to con- 
struct their runs, bores, or roadways, at a greater depth ; 
for the worms in the winter season, or in cold weather^ 
keep far below the surface, so that the moles, in following 
them, must go farther down, and of course have more occa- 
sion to throw up earth. In summer, when the weather 
is warm, and when there is enough of moisture on the sur- 
face of the ground, the worms are on, or near it; and 
then the moles, in hunting them, run among the roots of 
the grass, and have no occasion to throw up hillocks. 
For the reason why they ever do so, is this. They do not 
engage in the work as a matter of choice, or of amusement, 
or of wanton mischievousness ; but of necessity, in the way 
of procuring their daily food. When they are a consider- 
able way down, say three or four inches, for they seldom 
go deeper than about twice that distance from tlie surface, 
they are then unable to move all the earth immediately 
above them, and must, in order to get forward in their 
work, contrive some plan of clearing away the materials 
they detach. Th^ plan they adopt is the following. The 
mole forms an upright, or rather a sloping shaft, and, as 
