36 POPULAR SCRIPTURE ZOOLOGY.

their turn, preyed upon by the owl. Moles are exceedingly
voracious, and it is said they die of starvation if kept twelve
hours without food; if two are confined together, the
strongest will, if hungry, devour the weakest, even to the
bones. Farmers are no friends to these little creatures, as
by turning up the earth they expose the roots of plants,
or overthrow them by burrowing; but many agriculturists
think they make ample amends, by the destruction of earth-
worms and other noxious animals.

The fur of the mole is very soft and thick. “Fur of
every kind may be regarded as a species of organ of what is
called touch, not in the mere pile of the fur, but in the
sensation which is instantly communicated to its roots, as
we find in many instances, especially in those whiskers of
nocturnal animals which guide them in their rambles.
Upon the same principle, there is no question that the ex-
quisitely. delicate fur of the mole, which yields to a touch
quite imperceptible to us, is one of the finest organs of
feeling in the whole animal kingdom. Nor is there any
doubt, that this fur communicates to the owner the slightest
concussion of the earth over its nest or its gallery.”* This
quick sense of touch makes ample amends to the mole for

* British Cyclopedia: art. Mone.