THE MOLE. 
37 1 
chiefly formed by compression of the earth by the little engineer. By his constant passing to and fro, 
its walls become singularly smooth and compact. Occasionally a Mole will form two or more high 
roads leading from his fortress, probably when supplies fall short and it is necessary to open up new 
ground ; and sometimes several Moles share the same highway, perhaps in localities where worms and 
grubs are peculiarly fat and abundant. But in the latter case, as there is not room in the little tunnel 
for one Mole to pass another, if two of them meet by accident one must give way or retire into a 
side alley, otherwise a violent combat ensues, when the weaker is ruthlessly killed and devoured. 
The road varies in its depth from the surface according to the nature of the soil and other circum- 
stances ■ in safe localities it is usually at a depth of four or five inches. 
It is through this well-beaten path that the Mole goes out to his hunting-grounds, and by it also 
that he is obliged to return. The Mole-catchers are well aware of this peculiarity in the habits of' the 
animal, and one of their most successful devices for its capture consists in placing traps in the course 
of the high road at a time when the Mole is sure to bo out on a foraging expedition, so as to intercept 
him on his way home. The rapidity of its motion along the high road, especially when alarmed, was 
demonstrated by an amusing experiment shown to M. Geoffroy St. Hilaire by M. Le Court. The 
latter, having ascertained the direction of a Mole’s road, and found that the animal was hunting at its 
furthest extremity, placed all along the line at certain distances pieces of straw, passing one end of 
each into the little tunnel, and attaching little paper flags to the other. He then inserted a horn close 
to the extremity of the tunnel, and, blowing into it, produced a frightful noise, upon hearing which 
the Mole naturally made the best of his way home to his fortress, indicating his progress by throwing 
off the little flags as he passed the successive straws. It was estimated that the speed of the frightened 
animal was equal to that of a Horse at full trot. 
The extreme voracity of the Mole has already been mentioned, but it may be urged in his excuse 
that the hard labour he has to perform renders a considerable amount of good nourishment absolutely 
essential to him. Mr. Bell says that his activity in search of food is principally in the morning and 
evening, and that he sleeps the greater part of the day. In seeking his food, the course adopted by him 
in making his highway would not answer: he must now dig through the ground to see what it contains, 
and in doing tins he is of course embarrassed by the loose stuff that he dislodges. To get rid of this he 
makes his way to the surface from time to time, breaks through, and pushes the troublesome rubbish 
out with his nose, producing those well-known £< Mole-hills ” of loose earth which so commonly betray 
his progress in our fields and meadows. The depth at which the Mole works in his hunting-grounds 
depends very much upon circumstances. In light and newly- worked soils, after rain, when the earth- 
worms especially come to the surface, the Mole will travel along in a soil of shallow trench in pursuit 
of his prey. In winter we have the reverse of this picture, for then the Moles are compelled to go 
far down in pursuit of the worms, which have been driven from the surface by the frost. 
It must not be supposed, however, that eating and sleeping make up the whole life-history of the 
Mole. Very early in the year a time comes when he feels strange emotions stirring within him, and 
then he goes off gallantly, in his velvet coat, in search of a partner in his lonely encampment. 
That he will not be allowed to bring home his bride 'without many an appeal to his weapons 
is almost a matter of necessity, for by some singular dispensation the number of male Moles 
is very much greater than that of the opposite sex, a disproportion which, as might be expected, 
gives rise to a good deal of jealousy and its natural consequences among such fierce and untamed 
spirits. As the male goes on his wooing he makes numerous but very shallow tracks in all 
directions. These have received the elegant name of traces (T amour from the French naturalists. 
The lady having been found, the next business is to secure possession of her, and this is attended 
with considerable difficulties, both from the impertinent intrusion of other males, and from a 
tendency on the part of the lady herself to run away from the proffered happiness. The intending 
bridegroom must have rather a hard time of it. But at length the bride’s coyness and the assiduities 
of rivals are got rid of, and the pair settle down to inhabit for a time the same encampment, and to 
bring up their little family. It would appear that the affection of the male for his mate continues to be 
of a very warm kind, at least M. Le Court states that he several times found a femaL caught in a trap 
with the male lying dead beside her. The possession of strong family affections by the Mole would 
seem further to be proved by an observation communicated to M. Le Court, according to which, when 
