THE COMMON AMERICAN MOLE. 
THIS mole (S c a lops aquatic us} is 
the most common species in 
the eastern portion of the 
United States. Moles are con- 
sidered as animals of a fairly high 
order, on account of their forelegs' be- 
ing developed into perfect scoops for 
digging. They live almost entirely in 
underground retreats, where they lead 
a very peculiar life. They are found 
over nearly all Europe, a great part of 
Asia, southern Africa, and North 
America, and their habits are in almost 
every respect similar. Their varieties 
are not numerous, but it is possible 
that there are still a great many spe- 
cies as yet unknown to naturalists. 
They are all shaped and endowed, says 
Brehm, in so striking a manner as to be 
instantly recognizable. The body is 
stout and of cylindrical shape, and 
merges into a small head without the 
intervention of a distinct neck. The 
body is supported on short legs; the 
forward pair appear to be relatively 
gigantic digging tools, while the hind 
limbs are longer and resemble those of 
the rat. The teeth are from thirty-six 
to forty four in number. 
Moles all delight in fertile plains, 
though they are also found in moun- 
tains. As the effect of light is painful 
to them, they seldom come to the sur- 
face, and even in the depth of the earth 
they are more active by night than by 
day. Their movements in their under- 
ground passages are much more rapid 
than when on the surface of the 
ground, wheie they can scarcely walk. 
They are also good swimmers when 
compelled by necessity to resort to 
the water. 
Of the senses of the moles it is said 
those of smell, hearing, and touch are 
especially well developed, while that 
of sight is deficient. All moles are 
quarrelsome, are addicted to vicious 
biting, and they take pleasure in de- 
vouring their own kind. They eat 
only animal food, all kinds of insects 
living under ground, worms, and the 
like, though they also feed on small 
mammals and birds, frogs, and snails, 
They are exceedingly voracious, and 
as they can endure hunger only for a 
very short time, they do not hibernate. 
They are undoubtedly useful as exter- 
minators of insects, though on account 
of their digging habits they are con- 
sidered a nuisance by the farmer. 
It was long thought that moles were 
blind, or had no eyes. The eyes, how- 
ever, are about the size of a small seed, 
lie midway between the tip of the 
snout and the ears, and are completely 
covered with the hair of the head. 
They are protected by lids, and may 
be projected or retracted at will. 
Once or twice a year the female 
mole gives birth to from three to five 
young. They grow rapidly, and re- 
main with the mother for one or two 
months. Then they begin digging on 
their own account and requite no fur- 
ther attention. They have been found 
to be very difficult to keep in captivity 
by reason of their insatiable appetite. 
As the mole is obliged constantly to 
construct new hillocks in order to 
secure its food, it cannot long hide 
itself from its enemies. It digs hori- 
zontal shafts at a slight depth from the 
surface, and in order to remove the 
earth it has dug up, it throws up the 
well known hillocks. Many a beauti- 
ful lawn has been nearly ruined by the 
handiwork of this little creature, who 
likes to bore its snout into loose soil 
and throw it backward with its powerful 
forepaws. In a single night it can un- 
do much of the labor of the gardener. 
In loose ground the animal is said to 
work with really admirable rapidity. 
Oken kept a mole in a box of sand for 
three months, and observed the animal 
work its way in it nearly as rapidly as 
a fish glides through the water, snout 
foremost, using the forepaws to throw 
the sand to the side and the hind 
limbs to push it backward. Lecourt, 
wishing to investigate the speed of a 
mole in its conduits, set up in a row a 
number of heavy straws in the main 
conduit, arranged so that the mole 
could not run along the passages with- 
out touching them. To the tops of 
these straws he fastened small paper 
flags, and when the mole was occupied 
in its hunting ground, .he frightened it 
with the sound of a bugle, and thus 
in 
