Tai.pid^. MAJIMALIA. Talpidas. 67 
oil the back, and sliahowed out at the palm (fig. 15). 
Every finger is armed with a strong pointed nail, grooved 
on the under surface, while all of them converge to- 
gether at the tips, forming a powerful kind of digger or 
Front and back view of the hand or fore-foot of the Mole (Talpa 
Europiea). 
hoe. Of our more common animals, few have had 
their behaviour and manner of living more thoroughly 
e.'tposed than the mole. Pennant, speaking of its 
powers of progression, sa 3 ''s — “ The breadth, strength, 
and shortness of the fore feet, which are inclined side- 
ways, answer the use as well as the form of hands, to 
scoop out the earth to form its habitation, or to pursue 
its prey. Had they been longer, the falling in of the 
earth would have prevented the quick repetition of its 
strokes in working, or have impeded its course; the 
oblique position of the fore feet has also this advantage, 
that it flings all the lose soil behind the animal. The 
form of the body is not less admirably contrived for its 
wa}^ of life ; the fore part is thick and very muscular, 
giving great strength to the action of the fore part, 
enabling it to dig its way with great force and rapidity, 
either to pursue its prey or elude the search of the 
most active enemy. The form of its hind parts, wdnch 
are small and taper, enables it to pass with facility 
through the earth that the fore feet had flung behind ; 
for, had each part of the body been of equal thickness, 
its flight would have been impeded, and its security 
precarious. The skin is excessively compact, and so 
tough as not to be cut but by a very sharp knife ; the 
hair is very short and close set, and softer than the 
finest silk ; the usual colour is black, not but there are 
instances of these animals being spotted, and a cream- 
coloured breed is sometimes found in dry lands near 
Downing. The smallness of the eyes (which gave 
occasion to the ancients to deny the sense of sight) is 
to this animal a peculiar happiness ; a sn'iall degree of 
vision is sufficient for an animal ever destined to live 
under ground. Had these organs been larger, they 
would have been perpetually liable to injuries by the 
earth falling into them ; but nature, to prevent that 
inconvenience, hath not onlj^ made them very small, 
but also covered them very closely with fur. To make 
amends for the dimness of its sight, the mole is amply 
recompensed by the great perfection of two other 
senses, those of hearing and smelling ; the first gives it 
notice of the most distant approach of danger; the 
other, which is equally exquisite, directs it in the 
midst of darkness to its food ; the nose also, being very 
long and slender, is well formed for thrusting into small 
holes in search of the worms and insects that inhabit 
them. These gifts may with reason be said to com- 
pensate the defect of sight, as they supply in this 
animal all its wants, and all the purposes of that 
sense.” But the most interesting researches concern- 
ing this extraordinary creature, are undoubtedly those 
of the French writer — Henri le Court. This indefa- 
tigable observer pointed out that the mole pushes its 
way through the soil, not at mere random, in any 
chance direction ; but having selected certain localities 
or hunting grounds, as they have been called, con- 
structs a habitation or fortress. This is sometimes 
formed “ under a considerable hillock raised in some 
secure place, often at the root of a tree, under a ba-nk, 
or anj^ shelter that offers protection. The fortress is 
domed by a cement, so to speak, of earth, which has 
been beaten and compressed b}' the architect into a 
compact and solid state. Within, a circular gallery is 
formed at the base, and communicates with an upper 
smaller gallery by five passages, wdiich are nearly at 
equal distances (fig. 16). Within the lower and undei 
the upper of these galleries is the chamber or dormitory, 
w’hich has access to the upper gallery by three similar 
passages. From this habitation, we should here 
observe, the high road, by which the proprietor reaches 
Fig. IG 
the opposite end of the encampment, is prolonged, wdiile 
the various galleries or excavations open into this road, 
which the mole is continually carrying out and extend- 
ing in its search for food, and which has been termed 
its hunting ground. But to return to the chamber: 
from it another road extends, the direction of which 
is dowmw'ards at first, and that for several inches, when 
it again rises to open into the high road of the terri - 
tory. Some eight or nine other passages open out 
from the external circular gallery, but the orifices of 
these never come opposite to the passages which con- 
nect the external gallery with the internal and upper 
gallery. The extent of these passages is greater or 
less according to circumstances, and they each return 
by an irregular and semicircular route, opening at 
various distances from the habitation into the high 
road, which differs considerably from all the other 
passages and excavations, both in construction and 
w'ith regard to the use to wdiich it is applied. From 
the habitation this road is carried out nearly in a 
straight line, and forms the main passage of communi- 
cation betw’een the habitation, the different portions of 
the encampment, and the alleys leading to the hunting 
ground, which open into it on each side. In diameter 
it exceeds the body of the mole, but its sides will not 
admit of two moles passing each other. The walls, 
from the reiterated pressure of the mole’s sides against 
them, become smooth and compact, and its course is 
remarkable for the comparative absence of molehills, 
which are frequent in connection with the alleys and 
