Volume 22, Plate VIII / Mammalia (Mammals)

Common Mole

Talpa Europæa

A small cylindrical quadruped with very short thick neck, pointed snout, extremely small concealed eyes, no external ears, and broad powerful fore feet armed with strong straight claws for digging, the soft velvety fur blackish-grey. It lives underground in a methodical system of galleries and a central fortress, feeding chiefly on earth-worms with insatiable voracity, produces three to seven young from spring to summer, and ranges over most of Britain though absent from Ireland and many northern isles.