SPOTTED MOLE. 
flowing of rivers is their greatest scourge.y 
During inundations, , they are seen swimming 
in vast numbers, and using every effort to gaia 
the more elevated grounds : but most of them 
perish ; , as well as their young, which remain 
in their holes.; AVithont this devastation, the' 
great talents.they have for multiplying woulii 
r^der them extremely incommodious to man* 
They couple about the end of winter, and gp; 
but a shart time with young ; for we fiftd them 
very small in the month of May. - They ge- 
nerally bring forth four or five at a time. It 
is easy to distinguish; the hillocks under which 
they litter ; for they are larger, and made with 
more art, than the common kind. I believe, 
these animals bring forth more than once a 
year; but of this I cannot be certain. It is a. 
faft, however, that we meet with young ones 
from April to August, Perhaps, some of them 
may be later in coupling than others. The 
habitation where they deposit their young, me- 
rits a particular description, because it is con- 
stru^ed with singular intelligence. They be- 
gin with raising the earth', and forming a tole- 
rably high arch. They leave partitions, or a 
I kind of pillars, at certain distances; beat and 
I pi:^^^ £||]^e^l^;arth ; interweave it . with the roots. 
