The Mole
Categories:
STEEL TRAPS AND THE ART OF TRAPPING.
Of all the mammalia the Mole is entitled to take the first place
in the list of burrowers. This extraordinary creature does not
merely dig tunnels in the ground and sit at the end of them, as is
the case with many animals, but it forms a complicated subterranean
dwelling place with chambers, passages and other arrangements of
wonderful completeness. It has regular roads leading to its feeding
grounds; establishes a sys
em of communication as elaborate as
that of a modern railway, or, to be more correct, as that of the
subterranean network of the sewers of a city. It is an animal of
varied accomplishments. It can run tolerably fast, it can fight
like a bull-dog, it can capture prey under or above ground, it can
swim fearlessly, and it can sink wells for the purpose of quenching
its thirst. Take the mole out of its proper sphere, and it is awkward
and clumsy as the sloth when placed on level ground, or the seal
when brought ashore. Replace it in the familiar earth and it becomes
a different being, full of life and energy, and actuated by a fiery
activity which seems quite inconsistent with its dull aspect and
seemingly inert form.
We all know that the mole burrows under the ground, raising at
intervals the little hillocks or mole hills with which we are
so familiar; but most of us little know the extent or variety of
its tunnels, or that the animal works on a regular system and does
not burrow here and there at random. How it manages to form its
burrows in such admirably straight lines, is not an easy problem,
because it is always done in black darkness, and we know of nothing
which can act as a guide to the animal. As for ourselves and other
eye-possessing creatures, the feat of walking in a straight line
with closed eyelids is almost an impossibility, and every swimmer
knows the difficulty of keeping a straight course under water,
even with the use of his eyes.
The ordinary mole hills, so plentiful in our fields, present nothing
particularly worthy of notice. They are merely the shafts through
which the quadruped miner ejects the material which it has scooped
out, as it drives its many tunnels through the soil, and if they
be carefully opened after the rain has consolidated the heap of
loose material, nothing more will be discovered than a simple hole
leading into the tunnel. But let us
strike into one of the large tunnels, as any mole catcher will
teach us, and follow it up to the real abode of the animal. The
hill under which this domicile is hidden, is of considerable size,
but is not very conspicuous, being always placed under the shelter of
a tree, shrub, or a suitable bank, and would scarcely be discovered
but by a practiced eye. The subterranean abode within the hillock
is so remarkable that it involuntarily reminds the observer of the
well-known maze, which has puzzled the earliest years of youth
throughout many generations. The central apartment, or keep,
if we so term it, is a nearly spherical chamber, the roof of which
is almost on a level with the earth around the hill, and therefore
situated at a considerable depth from the apex of the heap. Around
this keep are driven two circular passages or galleries, one just
level with the ceiling and the other at some height above. Five
short descending passages connect the galleries with each other,
but the only entrance into the keep is from the upper gallery,
out of which three passages lead into the ceiling of the keep. It
will be seen therefore that when the mole enters the house from
one of its tunnels, it has first to get into the lower gallery
to ascend thence into the upper gallery, and so descend into the
central chamber. There is, however, another entrance into the keep
from below. A passage dips downward from the centre of the chamber,
and then, taking a curve upwards, opens into one of the larger burrows
or high roads, as they may be fitly termed. It is a noteworthy
fact that the high roads, of which there are several radiating in
different directions, never open into the gallery opposite one
of the entrances into the upper gallery. The mole therefore is
obliged to go to the right or left as soon as it enters the domicile
before it can find a passage to the upper gallery. By the continual
pressure of the moles upon the walls of the passages and roof of
the central chamber, they become quite smooth, hard, and polished,
so that the earth will not fall in, even after the severest storm.
The use of so complicated a series of cells and passages is extremely
doubtful, and our total ignorance of the subject affords another
reason why the habits of this wonderful animal should be better
studied.
About the middle of June the moles begin to fall in love, and are
as furious in their attachments as in all other phases of their
nature. At that time two male moles cannot meet without mutual
jealousy, and they straightway begin to fight, scratching, tearing,
and biting with such insane fury that they seem unconscious
of anything except the heat of battle. Indeed the whole life of
the mole is one of fury, and he eats like a starving tiger, tearing
and rending his prey with claws and teeth, and crunching audibly
the body of the worm between the sharp points. Magnify the mole
to the size of the lion and you will have a beast more terrible
than the world has yet seen. Though nearly blind, and therefore
incapable of following its prey by sight, it would be active beyond
conception, springing this way and that way as it goes along, leaping
with lightness and quickness upon any animal which it meets, rending
it in pieces in a moment, thrusting its blood-thirsty snout into
the body of its victim, eating the still warm and bleeding flesh,
and instantly searching for fresh prey. Such a creature would,
without the least hesitation, devour a serpent twenty feet in length,
and so terrible would be its voracity that it would eat twenty or
thirty of such snakes in a day as easily as it devours the same
number of worms. With one grasp of its teeth and one stroke of
its claws, it could tear an ox asunder; and if it should happen
to enter a fold of sheep or enclosure of cattle, it would kill
them all for the mere lust of slaughter. Let, then, two of such
animals meet in combat, and how terrific would be the battle! Fear
is a feeling of which the mole seems to be utterly unconscious,
and, when fighting with one of its own species, he gives his whole
energies to the destruction of his opponent without seeming to heed
the injuries inflicted upon himself. From the foregoing sketch
the reader will be able to estimate the extraordinary energies of
this animal, as well as the wonderful instincts with which it is
endowed.
The fur of the mole is noted for its clean, velvety aspect; and
that an animal should be able to pass unsoiled through earth of
all textures is a really remarkable phenomenon. It is partly to
be explained by the character of the hair, and partly by that of
the skin. The hair of the mole is peculiar on account of its want
of set. The tops of the hairs do not point in any particular
direction, but may be pressed equally forward or backward or to
either side. The microscope reveals the cause of this peculiarity.
The hair is extremely fine at its exit from the skin, and gradually
increases in thickness until it reaches its full width when it
again diminishes. This alternation occurs several times in each
hair, and gives the peculiar velvet-like texture with which we
are all so familiar. There is scarcely any coloring matter in the
slender portion of the hair, and the beautiful changeable coppery
hues of the fur is owing to this structure. Another reason for the
cleanliness of the fur is the strong, though membranous muscle beneath
the skin. While the mole is engaged in travelling, particularly in
loose earth, the soil for a time clings to the fur; but at tolerably
regular intervals the creature gives the skin a sharp and powerful
shake, which throws off at once the whole of the mould that has
collected upon the fur. Some amount of dust still remains, for,
however clean the fur of a mole may seem to be, if the creature
be placed for an hour in water, a considerable quantity of earth
will be dissolved away and fall to the bottom of the vessel. The
improvement in the fur after being well washed with soft tepid
water and soap, is almost incredible. Many persons have been struck
with such admiration for the fur of the mole, that they have been
desirous of having a number of the skins collected and made into a
waist-coat. This certainly can be done, but the garment thus made
is so very hot that it can only be worn in winter. Such garments
are very expensive, and owing to the tender quality of the skin,
possess but little lasting powers. There is also a wonderfully
strong smell about the mole; so strong, indeed, that dogs will
sometimes point at moles instead of game, to the great disgust
of their masters. This odor adheres obstinately to the skin, and
even in furs which have been dried for more than ten years, this
peculiar savor has been noticed.
We have given much space to the mole, not particularly on account
of its particular usefulness to the trapper, but because of its
many claims to our notice. If the creature were a rare and costly
inhabitant of some distant land, how deep would be the interest
which it would incite. But because it is a creature of our country,
and to be found in every field, there are but few who care to examine
a creature so common, or who experience any feelings save those
of disgust when they see a mole making its way over the ground
in search of a soft spot in which to burrow.
In many localities this interesting animal exists in such numbers
as to become a positive nuisance, and the invention of a trap which
would effectually curtail their depredations has been a problem
to many a vexed and puzzled farmer.
Mole traps of various kinds have found their way into our agricultural
papers, but none has proved more effectual than the one we describe
on page 119. An arrangement of the figure four, page 107, is
also sometimes employed with good success. In this case the bait
stick crosses the upright stick close to the ground, and rests over
the burrow of the mole, the earth being previously pressed down to
the surrounding level. The stone should be narrow and very heavy, and
of course no bait is required.
The pieces should be set carefully, and so adjusted that the lifting
of the soil beneath the stick as the mole forces its way through
the compressed earth will dislodge the bait stick and let down
the stone with its crushing weight.
Another method consists in embedding a deep flower pot in one of
the main tunnels of the animal, and carefully replacing the soil
above. The mole in traversing his burrow thus falls into the pit
and is effectually captured. This is a very ingenious mode of taking
the animal, and rewarded its inventor with seven moles on the first
night of trial.
There are a number of other devices said to work excellently, but
the above we believe to be the most effectual of all.
There are several species of American moles, the star-nosed variety
being familiar to most of us. The most common moles are the shrew
moles, with pointed noses. The silver mole is a large species, of
a changeable silvery color, found on the Western prairies. The
Oregon mole is nearly black, with purplish or brownish reflections.
The most beautiful of all the moles is found at the Cape of Good
Hope. It is of about the size of the ordinary American species, and
its soft fur glistens with brilliant green and golden reflections.
The fur of this species is probably the most wonderful and beautiful
in the whole animal kingdom.