Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-08-19
WAYS OF THE MOLE.
A Useful and Industrious. Although sruch
Persecuted. Littis Animal.

~
Prosecuted. Littis Animal.
Rev. j. G. Wood. the celebrated
author in natural history. delivered y
lecture in Cooper Institute. New York,
on the mole. He said in part:
II man were placed in damp,
dark. subtcrrancan prison, he would
not like it bit, but would make the
best of his way. as quickly as he could,
to the air, the light and the warmth of
the upper world. Moies do not agree
Mt all with human beings, but prefer
coldncss, moisture and darkness. Tho
mole is turnover, and in the natural
pursuit of his vocation-deyouriac The
pupl Of caterpillars, and a.,o gro"nu
worms-he is compelled to throw up
those little mounds of fresh earth which
are called mole hills. Farmers strong.
ly object to them on this ground, be-
cause mole hills look untidy. Then
they have lurking prejudice that they
also do damage to the crops, which is
nonsense, because the mole is strictly
insectiyorouS and carniycrouS. and vi
tcrly disdains cereals or roots. He Is
really "a benefactor, because hc supplies
the farmer with top dressing oi un-
exhausted earth.
All burrowcrs must be cylindrical
and pointed ut the foremost end, and
that is the shape OF the mole. He is
intermediate in size, between u mouse
and rat, and his anatomyis highly in
tcrcsting from the manner in which
all The muscular power goes TO the
forearm, which does the burrowing.
and the spadc-lkc hands with the long
claws. Anatomists NJ one time were
greatly puzzled by what appeared to
be sixth finger, which would
have been terrible anomaly.
Fortunately it was discovered to be not
finger. but Il radial scsamOid, OF
which the human anatomy contains
numerous instances, ~, for example,
the kncc-cap. 1t was for the purpose
OF extending the iorking power of the
mOlc's hand. When IN honest agri-
culurist comes to u bit OF hard ground,
ne first looScns it with u fork and then
shovclS. The mole does precisely the
game. When he opens his fingers aS
wide rs he can, h. does the iorSing
business; when he closes them COM
pactly. he shovels. have seen at IN AZ
ricultural fair a very smart digging ma
chine, but upon examining it | found
it TO be only the mole's hands multi
Piled and set on wheels.
The molo has eyes, but he does not
use them very much. Shakespeare
speaks repeatedly of the blind mole
but the sweet bard oi Avon was incor-
rect The mole is not blind. but his
eyes are exceedingly small. II any per.
son wants TO find out this for himself
he must first find his mole, which i no
Joke, for they bite like iicndl and
scratch with their forepaws like Wild
cats. Then by blowing away the fur.
u small, black spcck appears, which il
the eye. But the best way is TO put
the mole in water, when the eye immc-
diately appears, showing that he has
the power of projecting the eye beyond
the fur. The same proverbial wisdom
that made the mole blind gives il cred
it for a sense of hearing singularly del
icate; yet the fact is that the ears are
not specially acute. The delicacy oi
hearing is due to the singular manner
in which the earth carries wave sounds,
u circumstance well known to hunters
and military men. The sense of smell
Is the pre-eminent quality in this Great
urc, and upon which he depends chiefly
TO procure food. Moles are fiery TO
the last degree and quarrclsomc.
Whenever two meet they fight and the
vanquishcd is destroyed by the victor.
-IRtcrior.