Mole
(Talpa Europaea). This animal is too universally known to call for any detailed description of its appearance. Its structure is remarkable, because of the numerous adaptations that it presents to fit the animal for burrowing, and for rapid movement through the tunnels it has made a few inches below the surface of the soil. The front part of the body is much stouter than the rear. The fore legs are very powerful, and have the bones curiously modified to support the very strong muscles of the limb, which serves the part of a digging instrument, and to throw the loosened earth backwards. The hand, or fore paw, is made broader by an additional bone along the inner side. The skin is strong, and the fur is close and velvety, and lies smoothly in whatever direction it is stroked. The eyes are so small as to be practically useless to the animals, which are, however, possessed of acute hearing and smell. The teeth prove them to be carnivorous, and observation proves that Moles feed on insects, chiefly as larvae, and on earthworms. Occasionally a little vegetable matter may be swallowed along with this food. The home of the Mole is usually situated in some well-protected place, e.g., under a large stone or the root of a tree; and there are usually several passages diverging from it, into any one of which the Mole may retreat for shelter when in danger. The female makes a nest of dried grass, or other herbage, in a specially-constructed chamber, and in it she brings forth four or five naked young ones. It is probable that Moles do more good than harm when they confine their operations to the fields; but in gardens they do much damage in flower borders, by cutting the roots of the flowers; and their earth-heaps render lawns very unsightly. It is, therefore, necessary to remove them from gardens whenever they find their way in, and this is best done by the use of traps set in their burrows or runs. As the animals are very wary, it is needful to take special precautions against the smell of one's hands remaining about the traps. Where a molecatcher's services can be obtained, it will probably be found advisable to employ them if it is necessary to rid a garden of Moles.