Talpid^e. MAMMALIA. Talpid^e. 
son in which that domicile is occupied, or in a simple 
molehill devoted to this purpose, during the summer. 
Its bed is formed of various vegetable matters, such as 
grass, leaves, or similar soft substances. It sleeps for 
about four or six hours at a time in warm weather, and 
principally during the day — its usual working time 
being very early in the morning and at night. In the 
spring the mole leaves the fortress, and does not return 
to this shelter until the autumn, when it does not gene- 
rally reoccupy the same edifice, but constructs another, 
leaving the old one to the occupation of the heldmouse, 
or other small animal of similar habits. During the 
month of June, or longer, it is in the habit of leaving 
its runs, and wandering during great part of the night 
on the surface of the land in search of its food.” There 
is also another mode which the mole adopts in captur- 
ing his prey, when the soil is light, and when showers 
of rain have enticed the worms to the surface. This 
is accomplished by boring shallow trenches immediately 
under the surface, surprising and catching these unfor- 
tunate annelids at the most unsuspected moments. 
Every one must have observed these mole-runs in fields 
which have been only recently sown with grain. The 
mole is a hard drinker, and his appetite in this respect 
is in perfect harmony with his flesh-eating propensities. 
He is also a firstrate swimmer, and, as we have seen, 
his form is singularly adapted for easy propulsion 
through any firmly-resisting medium. lie will not only 
take the water when inundations or a desire to change 
his hunting grounds compel him to migrate, but Mr. 
Bell avers that he sometimes takes a swim “ merely 
for the purpose of enjoying the luxury of a bath.” The 
male mole is exceeding fierce during the love season, 
and readily resents any individual of the same sex who 
should unhappily be paying his addresses to the same 
female as himself. Formidable pitched battles are 
fought, and much blood shed on such occasions, while 
the unfortunate object of affection is also somewhat 
roughly handled. The nest is generally situated at a 
considerable distance from the habitation ; it is well 
constructed and compact, but its place of location is 
not alwaj’s to be found indicated by a hillock. When 
the latter is present it exceeds in size that of an ordi- 
nary molehill. The nest is built “ by enlarging and 
excavating the point where three or four passages meet 
and intersect each other.” In one instance no less 
than two hundred and four wheatblades were counted 
by Geoffrey St Hilaire, and Le Court. From this 
circn.nstance alone, therefore, we can well comprehend 
the weight of those accusations which have from time 
immemorial been levelled against the mole. Some 
distinguished naturalists, and most prominently among 
them Mr. Bell, have endeavoured to advocate its cause, 
and to contend that after all the mole is not such 
a thievish villain as some have supposed. Without 
entering at any great length into this instructive con- 
troversy, we are inclined, all things considered, to 
take the view and state the case, as Professor Owen 
has succinctly put it, in the following words— “ The 
farmer views the operations of the mole as destructive 
to his crops, by exposing and destroying their roots, or 
by overthrowing the plants in the construction of the 
molehills, his burrows, moreover, become the haunts 
63 
of the fieldmouse and other noxious animals. The mole 
is also accused of carrying oft' quantities of young corn 
to form its nest ; hence every means are devised to cap- 
ture and destroy it, and men gain a livelihood exclusively 
by this occupation. Some naturalists, however, plead 
that the injury which it perpetrates is slight, and that 
it is more than counterbalanced by the benefit which 
it produces by turning up and lightening the soil, and 
especially by its immense destruction of earthworms 
and many other noxious animals, which inhabit the 
superficial layer of the ground, and occasion great 
injury to the roots of grass, corn, and many other plants. 
The soundest practical conclusion lies probably in the 
mean of these opinions, and the enlightened agricul- 
turist, while he takes prompt measures to prevent the 
undue increase of the mole, would do well to reflect on 
the disadvantages which might follow its total exter- 
mination.” The common mole is found in nearly all 
parts of Europe, but in Greece it is said to be scarce, 
while in the more northern counties of Scotland, and 
in the contiguous isles of Orkney and Shetland, it is 
stated to be altogether unknown. 
THE THICK-TAILED STAK-NOSE {Condylura mac- 
roura). — The individuals of which this genus is 
composed, are closely allied to the true moles, not 
only in their general form, hut also in their habit of life. 
Their dental arrangement is peculiar. Of the ten cut- 
ting teeth, six occupy the upper and four the lower 
jaw. The two central teeth of the superior row 
are remarkably broad, also somewhat triangular and 
curved anteriorly. The lower series slope forwards 
in an almost horizontal direction. There are no true 
canines, as usual ; but the deficiency is sufficiently 
compensated by the presenee of thirty grinding teeth, 
seven on either side of the upper, and eight on those 
of the lower. The anterior three of the superior 
series, or upper false molars as they are called, are 
small, conical, and more or less widely separated from 
each other, while the inferior false molars, five in 
number on either side, are irregularly serrated and 
trenchant. Several species have been described ; but 
Snout of tlie Star-nose, or Condylura. 
their differentiating characters do not appear to be 
very strongly marked. In all of them the muzzle is 
prolonged into a narrow proboscis, the naked extremity 
of which is furnished with a number of moveable 
cartilaginoid, styliform processes or caruncles, radiately 
disposed like the spokes of a wheel (fig. 17). All have 
