TAL 
upper jaw, unequal, eight in the lower; 
tusks solitary, in the upper jaw larger; se- 
ven grinders in the upper, and six in the 
lower. There are four species. 
T.' EuropeSt, the common mole, is aboht 
six inches in length, without the tail. Its 
body is large and cylindrical, paid its snout 
strong and cartilaginous. Its skin is of ex- 
traordinary thickness, and covered with a 
fur, short, but yielding to that of no other 
animal in fineness. It hears with particu- 
lar acuteness, and, notwithstanding the po- 
pular opinion to the contrary, possesses 
eyes, which it is stated to he able to with- 
draw, or project, at pleasure. It lives 
partly on the roots of vegetables, but prin- 
cipally on animal food, such as worms and 
insects, and is extremely voracious and 
fierce. Shaw relates, from Sir Thomas 
Brown, that a mole, a toad, and a serpent 
have been repeatedly inclosed in a large 
glass vase, and that the mole has not only 
killed the others, but has devoured a very 
considerable part of them. It abounds in soft 
ground, in which it can dig with ease, and 
which furnishes it with the greatest supply 
of food. It forms its subterraneous apart- 
ments with great facility by its snout and 
feet, and with a very judicious reference to 
escape and comfort. It produces four or 
five young, in the spring, in a nest a little 
beneath the surface, composed of moss and 
herbage. It is an animal injurious to the 
grounds of the farmer, by throwing up in- 
numerable hills of mould, in the construc- 
tion of its habitation, or the pursuit of its 
food, and many persons obtain their sub- 
sistence from the premiums which are, on 
this account, given for their destruction. 
Moles can swim with considerable dexte- 
rity, and are thus furnished with the means 
of escape in those sudden inundations to 
which they are frequently exposed. In 
Ireland, the inole is unknown. See Mam- 
malia, Plate XX. fig. 5. 
T. radiata, Or the radiated mole, is very 
similar to the above, from which it is prin- 
cipally distinguished by a circle of radiated 
tendrils, resembling the ray of a boot-spur, 
attached to the nose. It is a native of 
North America. See Mammalia, Plate 
XX. fig. 6. 
TALUS, in fortification. Talus of a bas- 
tion, or rampart, is the slope or diminution 
allowed to such a work, whether it be of 
earth or stone, the better to support its 
weight. The exterior talus of a work, is 
its' slope on the side towards the country, 
which is always made as little as possible. 
TAM 
to prevent the enemy’s scalado ; unless the 
earth be bad, and then it is absolutely 
necessary to allow a considerable talus for 
its parapet. The interior talus of a work 
is its slope on the inside towards the place. 
TAMARINDUS, in botany, tatnarind 
free, a genus of the Monadelphia Tiiaiidria 
class and order. Natural order of Lomen- 
lace®. Leguminoste, Jussieu. Essential 
character : calyx four-parted ; petals three ; 
nectary of two short bristles under the fila- 
njents ; legume pulpy. There is only one 
species, viz. T. indica, tamarind tree, vvliich 
grows to a large size in those countries, 
where it is a native ; the stem is very large, 
covered with a brown bark, dividing into 
many branches at the top, and spreading 
wide every way ; the flowers come out 
from the side of the branches, five, six, or 
more together, in loose branches ; the pods 
are tliick and compressed, those from the 
West Indies are from two to five inches in 
length, containing two, three, or four seeds ; 
those from the East Indies are nearly twice 
as long, and contain five, six, and even se- 
ven seeds ; plants raised from both these 
are so much alike as not to be distinguish- 
ed ; the difference in the size of the pods is 
probably owing to soil and culture. The 
calyx is straw-coloured ; Ihe'petals are yel- 
lovVish, beautifully variegated with red 
veins; peduncles half an inch in length, 
each furnished with a joint, at which the 
flower turns inwards ; filaments commonly 
three ; they are purple, and the anthers are 
brownish. The timber of the tamarind tree 
is heavy, firm, and hard ; sawn into boards, 
it is converted to many useful purposes in 
building. The fruit is used both in food 
and medicine. In many parts of America, 
particularly in Curasao, they eat abundance 
of it raw, without any inconvenience. In 
Martinico also, they eat the unripe fruit, 
even of the most austere kind. 
TAMARIX, in botany, tamarnk, a genus 
of the Pentandria Trigynia class and order. 
Natural order of Succulent®. Portiilaceae, 
Jussieu. Essential character : calyx five- 
parted ; petals five ; capsule one-celled, 
three-valved ; seeds pappose. There are 
four species : we shall notice the T. gallica, 
French tamarisk, which is a native of the 
south of France, .Spain, Italy, Russia, Tar- 
tary, Barbary, and Japan, where it grows 
to a tree of a middling size ; in England it 
is rarely more than fourteen feet in height. 
The bark is rough, and of a dark-brown co- 
lour ; it sends out many slender branches, 
most of which spread out flat, hansiui> 
