MOLE ( abhrev lotion of millewarp, millflwarp, mould warp. OHCI. millorprf, ueultcerrf, n,r. I/ n ul wurf, from AS. mob/c, dust -I- wrorpan, Goth. wairpon, 01IG. werfna, Ger. frerfrn, to throw). A small mammal belonging to the order lasecti vont and to the family Talpida% although the name is often applied to other nearly related forms. It is a small animal, generally less than eight inches in length, thickset, with short stout limbs. the anterior pair powerful and espe eially adapted for 'Jigging. The fur is dense and soft, lying backward or forward with equal ease; the tail is short: and the eyes are very small. In many species the eyes are eovered over by a membrane, and recent investigations on the com mon American mole show that the eye itself is much degenerated. and probably is of practically no use as an organ of sight. Moles are subter ranean in their habits, and more or less noc turnal. They are very voracious, and cat animal food exelusively. The earth-wenn is the prin cipal article in their diet, but all other worms, grubs, caterpillars, and insects are readily eaten, and in captivity raw- meat, small birds and mam mals, and even other will be seized and eaten greedily. Although the limbs are short, moles are capable of very rapid movements. When in pursuit. of earth-worms, moles often travel long distances underground, and frequent ly so near the surface that the earth becomes raised up above the tunnel which they make. are therefor constantly hunted and trapped by gardeners. The fitvorite nwthod of capture is by means of a trap set in one of these under ground galleries. The simplest form of trap is a wire noose so arranged on a spring that when the mole enters it the spring is released and the wire is drawn taut.
build very remarkable nests. or homes, consisting of two circular galleries, the smaller above the larger. and connected with it by five straight passages; at the centre is a chamber connecting with the upper gallery, while from the lower gallery horizontal passages run out in all directions. From these horizontal passages are given off the sub-surface tunnels made when the mole is in search of food. The central chamber and circular galleries are built in a mound of earth, more or less above the surface. and larger than the ordinary heaps of earth tn. 'molehills' thrown up by these animals. From the central chamber is also a vertical tunnel leading downward and then bending up ward again to join one of the horizontal gal leries. The young are not brought forth in the central ehamber, hut in a spevial chamber formed where two or three horizontal galleries 1111•0t, wbiclu is lined with lea yes other warm ma terials. Emir or live young ones are usually pro duced at a birth. and some writers state that at set,anl bro..] is produced late in the summer. 11101e. take to water readily and swim well, so that they are able to cross considerable lakes and streams.
The anatomy if moles is interesting because it is so modified as to adapt the animal admirably to its 111:111111.1' of life. The fore limbs are at tached to the skeleton so fat' forward that they lie beside Ilse neck and thus add hut little to the general width, yet rennin sufficiently long to reach earth ahead of I he nose. The hind hint/4
are also so arranged as not to wimpy unneces sary space. the hip joints being closely approxi mated to the axis of the body. Till' is very ?1111 Mill of a peenliar shape. and the carpals are very wide. On ill(' 111111'r radial) side of the hand is a large sickle-shaped bone, regarded by some as a prepollex. The teeth vary in number from 36 to 44, in different genera. The Old World moles have 42 or 44 teeth. and the first and second upper incisors arc of about the same size, while the moles of America have 3I; or 44 teeth. and the first upper incisor is much larger than the second. The common mole of Europe (Talpo Ell ragen) is very widely distributed, ranging from Eng land to Japan. and from the Altai to the Himalaya mountains. T h c eyes in this spe cies are ant covered by a membrane. as they are in the rest of the genus. The habits of the European mole have been earefully stud ied, and the remarks made above in regard to the burrows and nests of moles refer especial. ly to that species. Seven other species of Talpa are chitty Asiatic, but only two occur south of the Ilimalayas. Moles are absent from Africa and Australasia. Two peculiar moles oc cur in 'Tibet, one of Whiell is placed in a distinct genus, as it has a somewhat narrower hand and only 42 teeth.
The American moles belong to the genera Scalops, having 36 teeth, webbed hind feet, and a narrow. slender !nuzzle; Scapanus, with 44 teeth and a narrow, tapering muzzle; and Condylura, with 41 teeth and a remarkable snout-like !nuz zle. fringed with a eirele of about 20 slender, soft, cartilaginous processes. This last genus contains only a single species, the well-known star-nosed mole (Come/giant cf./stir/O, which is not uncommon thronghout the Northern United States. Its very curious snout is pig lint the fringing processes give it a unique appearanee. In habits this species closely re sembles the more ordinary moles. The common mole of the Eastern United States (Sealops (augtielts) is a rather shrew-like animal. partial to the banks of streams. No moles occur south of the United States.
The name mole is often given to other insectiv orous burrowing mammals, as the mole-shrew of Northwestern America (NemotrichUN Which in structure approaches the desman (q.v.), but in habits is somewhat like a mole. The golden mules (q.v.) of South Africa belong to an en tirely different fatuity. the Chrysoehlorithr, and are not closely related to the Talpida.. although in external appearance they are strikingly like them. There are seven or eight species in the single genus Chrysochloris. The strange 'mar supial mole' (q.v.) of Southern Australia and the 'duel: mole' (i.e. the duckbill) are marsupials with more or less mole-like appearance and habits.
Moles are found fossil throughout the Ter tiary strata of Europe. a fact of great signifi vanee as showing how ancient must he the in sectivorous type of mammals. The genus Talpa even may he traced back as far as the Lower Miocene. with its peculiarities of structnre al ready well developed.