i6 
NATURE NOTES 
Does the Mole use its Teeth in Burrowing ?— One would naturally 
suppose the teeth of the common mole (Talpa europaa) were quite unfitted for 
aiding the animal in burrowing in the earth. The following observation, however, 
shows that this conclusion is erroneous. One sunny day last November, I was 
driving down a lane at Grimstone, near King’s Lynn, when I saw a mole on the 
footpath. I immediately got down and picked the creature up. It seemed dazzled 
by the sunlight, but otherwise quite active. Laid upon my left forearm so that 
its movements could be watched, it seized the cloth in its mouth so as to obtain 
a purchase, and struck out manfully with its fore-paws. My overcoat was made 
of black, finely-ribbed cloth, so that the scrape, scrape, scrape of its claws was not 
only seen but heard. It seemed surprised at its inability to force an entrance. 
After watching these manoeuvres I put the animal on the footpath, but it seemed 
dazed and helpless, trying to force its way beneath the tufts of grass in a half- 
hearted sort of way. I then lifted it up and placed it on softer ground amongst 
some fallen oak leaves, and in a very few seconds it was gone. I believe the 
animal uses its teeth to aid it when burrowing amongst grass and roots when- 
ever it gets into a “tight place,” but especially when it wants to re-enter the 
ground after a daylight walk. 
Kings Lynn ^ Charles B. Plowright, M.D. 
Deconber i, igoi. 
Metamorphosis of the Frog. — In order to have under observation the 
complete process of metamorphosis of the frog, about the middle of April last I 
collected from a neighbouring pond a handful of spawn containing probably from 
150 to 200 little dark specks, which in the ordinary course of nature should 
eventually have become as many fully-developed frogs ; but, as the sequel will 
show, such was very far from being the case. In about a week the little dark 
specks began to emerge from the mass of jelly in the shape of very diminutive 
tadpoles, and in about another fortnight the whole mass of jelly had disappeared 
and I possessed a small colony of those strange little creatures. These slowly 
increased in size and also apparently decreased in numbers, and yet strange to 
say, I never saw a dead one : whether they died and dissolved in the water, or 
whether they were possessed of cannibalistic tendencies and the stronger ate up 
the weaker, I do not know, certainly I never saw the latter performance take place. 
Towards the end of June the number had considerably decreased, and for the past 
month had changed very little, whereas from the same mass of spawn at the pond 
the tadpoles were much more advanced, many of them even able to boast of a 
pair of legs. Towards the end of July my stock was reduced to about three or four 
dozen, and all still in the tadpole stage, whereas their numerous little brothers 
and sisters, to the number of hundreds of thousands, at the pond had not only 
developed first two legs, then four, and then got rid of their caudal appendages, 
but being fully equipped for a new state of existence were leaving their watery 
home in huge numbers and jumping about in all directions. Towards the end of 
August some of my tadpoles had arrived at the two legged-stage, while the rest 
were still legless ; whereas with their near relations at the pond the transforma- 
tion and migration was so complete that not a frog was to be seen in any direction 
out of the enormous numbers that were there so short a time before. To carry 
the experiment a little farther I kept the remains of my tadpole family still 
another month, when it then consisted of one only with four legs, but still with the 
tail, four with two legs, and two still legless. So out of the whole lot not one 
had developed into a perfect frog. Although my experiment did not terminate 
as I expected, it was nevertheless interesting. I might mention that I kept them 
in rain water fre(|uently changed. 
Ruckhurst Hill, John Horne. 
December 6, 1901. 
[Mr. Horne, I fear, starved his tadpoles into cannibalism and retarded 
development. His experiment might serve to illustrate Lombroso’s theory of 
criminology. — El). N.N.'] 
Lizards in Ireland.— In answer to your correspondent, I should like to 
state that the common lizard (Laccrla iiivipara) is found in all parts of Ireland, 
although not common anywhere. In this neighbourhood. North County Dublin, 
1 have frequently seen the green variety on the sandhills, and a friend tells me he 
