76 
Quadruped's. 
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^sfatft&t ..' 9 v > 
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*am* lit' 
THE MOLE. (Talpa Europcea.) 
The Mole is a curious, awkwardly-shaped animal, with 
a long flexible snout, ver} r small eyes, and hand-like fore 
feet, armed with very strong claws, with which it scrapes 
its way through the ground, when it is forming the sub- 
terranean passages in which it takes up its abode. The 
Mole, though it is supposed not to possess the advantage 
of sight, has the senses of hearing and feeling in great 
perfection ; and its fur, which is short and thick, is set 
erect from its skin, so as not to impede its progress 
whether it goes forward or backwards along its runs. 
These runs are very curiously constructed : they cross 
each other at different points, but all lead to a nest in 
the centre, which the Mole makes his castle, or place 
of abode. The passages are made by the Mole in his 
search after the earth-worms and grubs, on which he 
lives; and the molehills are formed by the earth he 
scrapes out of his runs. These molehills do a great deal 
of mischief to grass lands, as they render the ground 
very difficult to mow ; and on this account mole-catchers 
are employed to fix traps in the ground, so that when the 
mole is running through one of his passages, he passes 
through the trap, which instantly springs up out of 
