CHAPTER V 
THE ORDER OF MOLES AND SHREWS 
INSECTIVORA 
In the dark and cold embrace of Mother Earth, 
away from the cheering sunlight, and the beauti- 
ful upper world that we enjoy, there dwells a 
group of mammals so strange,' and yet so useful 
to man, that they excite our admiration for the 
wise purpose which developed and placed them 
there. Pass not unthinkingly the moles and 
shrews, for they have been most cunningly de- 
signed to serve a definite and important purpose 
in the economy of Nature. 
In farming countries, the top soil of the earth 
is a vast incubator for the development of de- 
structive insect larvae. In soil that is rich and 
productive, “grub-worms,” “cut-worms,” and 
“wire-worms” abound; and in regular rotation 
they greedily devour the seeds, roots and leaves 
of growing crops. But for the enemies which 
keep them in check, there would be a hungry 
grub for every sprouting seed. 
And how can man wage war successfully 
against insect life in the soil? Impossible. To 
meet this difficult proposition, we need a vigor- 
ous living creature with a nose like a gimlet, 
sharp-pointed teeth, soft fur, feet specially de- 
signed for digging, and eyes so small that to 
them sunlight is an unnecessary luxury. Such 
animals are found in the moles and shrews, of 
the Order In-see-tiv'o-ra, humble but faithful 
workers in man’s interest. Neither the horse 
nor the ox is more diligent in our service than 
are these toilers of the soil. Yet what is their 
reward? 
In his mole-like blindness, man frequently dis- 
covers things that are not true. Often a per- 
fectly honest farmer concludes that a mole is 
eating his seed corn in the ground, or the vegeta- 
bles in the garden; and straightway the mole 
is killed. His accuser has found a runway 
following up a row of newly-planted corn, and 
when the seed fails to sprout, the mole is accused 
of having eaten it! 
In all such cases, the mole is a victim of cir- 
cumstantial evidence, and suffers through the 
lack of counsel to cross-examine the witnesses 
for the prosecution. Did anyone ever find much 
vegetable food in a mole’s stomach? Not often. 
Did anyone ever see a mole eat vegetable food? 
Probably not. A mole placed in a box and sup- 
plied with vegetable food alone soon starves to 
death. Moles do not eat seed corn, or garden 
vegetables; but they do visit corn-hills to eat 
the grubs that come to devour the corn. 
Every young naturalist must learn early what 
constitutes direct evidence. Far too long have 
the mole and shrew been convicted and slain 
on circumstantial evidence. Meadow mice some- 
times attack seed corn by utilizing the run- 
ways that have been made by moles in reaching 
the corn-hills to secure the grubs that attack 
the seeds; and almost invariably the testimony 
is that the moles have done the damage. In 
France the value of the mole is recognized by 
law, and the killing of one is punishable by a fine 
of five francs. 
The shrews and moles not only find their food 
underground, but live the entire cycle of their 
lives in subterranean darkness. Moles seek their 
food by digging tunnels in ground that is loose 
and dry, the roof being raised into a ridge which 
in smooth lawns is an annoying disfigurement. 
Gardeners are apt to forget that they always 
work where insect larvae are thickest, and the 
need for their help is most urgent. The tunnel- 
makers are driven from lawns by persistently 
trampling down their runways. 
The Order Insectivora is represented in the 
United States by two Families, the members of 
which are easily recognized by the following 
well-marked characters : 
The Moles have pointed heads; extremely large 
spade-like front feet, that always are held with 
the outer edge up; no neck; the front legs are 
exceedingly short; there is no external ear, and 
no external eye; the body is short, thick and 
clumsy, and the tail is hairless. 
The Shrews have pointed heads, but small , 
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