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MOLE . (1) A small See also:animal of the See also:family Talpidae (see below). (2) A See also:mark, or stain, and particularly a dark-coloured raised spot on the human skin. This word, O. Eng. mtl, appears in such forms as meil or See also:mail, in old forms of See also:Teutonic See also:languages, and in mal, a sign; cf. Ger. Denkmal, a See also:monument. It is probably cognate with See also:Lat. maculus, spot. Its meaning of stain is seen in the corrupted See also:form " See also:iron-See also:mould," properly " iron-mole," a stain produced on See also:linen or See also:cloth by See also:rust or See also:ink. (3) A large structure of See also:rubble, See also:- STONE
- STONE (0. Eng. shin; the word is common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Stein, Du. steen, Dan. and Swed. sten; the root is also seen in Gr. aria, pebble)
- STONE, CHARLES POMEROY (1824-1887)
- STONE, EDWARD JAMES (1831-1897)
- STONE, FRANK (1800-1859)
- STONE, GEORGE (1708—1764)
- STONE, LUCY [BLACKWELL] (1818-1893)
- STONE, MARCUS (184o— )
- STONE, NICHOLAS (1586-1647)
stone or other material, used as a See also:breakwater or See also:pier (see BREAKWATER), or the space of See also:water so enclosed, forming a See also:harbour or anchorage. This word comes through the See also:French from Lat. moles, a See also:mass, large structure. The name of the " Mole of See also:Hadrian " (moles Hadriani) is sometimes given to the See also:mausoleum of that See also:emperor, now the See also:castle of St Angelo at See also:Rome.
In See also:zoology the name of mole (a contracted form of mould-warp, i.e. mould-caster), is properly applicable to the See also:common mole (Talpa europaea), a small, soft-furred, burrowing mammal, with See also:minute eyes, and broad fossorial fore-feet, belonging to the See also:- ORDER
- ORDER (through Fr. ordre, for earlier ordene, from Lat. ordo, ordinis, rank, service, arrangement; the ultimate source is generally taken to be the root seen in Lat. oriri, rise, arise, begin; cf. " origin ")
- ORDER, HOLY
order Insectivora and the family Talpidae. In a wider sense may be included under the same See also:term the other Old See also:World moles, the See also:North See also:American See also:star-nosed and other moles, and the
See also:African See also:golden moles of the family Chrysochloridae. In a still wider sense the name is applied to the See also:Asiatic zokors and the African strand-moles, belonging to the order See also:Rodentia, as well
as to the Australian marsupial mole.
The common mole is an animal about six inches in length,
with a tail of one See also:inch. The See also:body is See also:long and cylindrical, and, owing to the forward position of the front limbs, the See also:head appears to See also:rest between the shoulders; the muzzle is long and obtusely pointed, terminated by the nostrils, which are See also:close together in front; the minute See also:eye is almost hidden by the See also:fur; the See also:ear is without a See also:conch, opening on a level with the surrounding skin; the fore-limbs are rather See also:short and very See also:muscular, terminating in broad, naked, See also:shovel-shaped feet, the palms normally directed outwards, each with five sub-equal digits armed with strong flattened claws; the See also:hind-feet, on the contrary, are long and narrow; and the toes are provided with slender claws. The body is densely covered with soft, erect, velvety fur—the hairs See also:uniform in length and thickness, except on the muzzle and short tail, the former having some straight bristles on its sides, whilst the latter is clothed with longer and coarser hairs. The fur is generally See also:black, with a more or less greyish tinge, or brownish-black, but various paler shades up to pure See also:- WHITE
- WHITE, ANDREW DICKSON (1832– )
- WHITE, GILBERT (1720–1793)
- WHITE, HENRY KIRKE (1785-1806)
- WHITE, HUGH LAWSON (1773-1840)
- WHITE, JOSEPH BLANCO (1775-1841)
- WHITE, RICHARD GRANT (1822-1885)
- WHITE, ROBERT (1645-1704)
- WHITE, SIR GEORGE STUART (1835– )
- WHITE, SIR THOMAS (1492-1567)
- WHITE, SIR WILLIAM ARTHUR (1824--1891)
- WHITE, SIR WILLIAM HENRY (1845– )
- WHITE, THOMAS (1628-1698)
- WHITE, THOMAS (c. 1550-1624)
white have
been observed.
The See also:food of the mole consists chiefly of earthworms, in pursuit
of which it forms its well-known underground excavations. The mole is one of the most voracious of mammals, and, if deprived of food, is said to succumb in from ten to twelve See also:hours. Almost any See also:kind of flesh is eagerly devoured by See also:captive moles, which have been seen, as if maddened by See also:hunger, to attack animals nearly as large as themselves, such as birds, lizards, frogs, and even See also:snakes; toads, however, they will not See also:touch, and no form of See also:vegetable food attracts their See also:notice. If two moles be confined together without food, the weaker is invariably devoured by the stronger. Moles take readily to the water—in this respect, as well as in See also:external form, resembling their North American representatives. See also:Bruce, See also:writing in 1793, remarks that he saw a mole paddling towards a small See also:island in the See also:Loch of Clunie, 18o yds. from See also:land, on which he noticed molehills.
The sexes come together about the second See also:week in See also:March, and the See also:young—generally from four to six in number—which are brought forth in about six See also:weeks, quickly attain their full See also:size.
Much misconception has prevailed with regard to the structure of the mole's " fortress," i.e. the large breeding hillock, which is generally placed in bushes, or amid the roots. of a See also:- TREE (0. Eng. treo, treow, cf. Dan. tree, Swed. Odd, tree, trd, timber; allied forms are found in Russ. drevo, Gr. opus, oak, and 36pv, spear, Welsh derw, Irish darog, oak, and Skr. dare, wood)
- TREE, SIR HERBERT BEERBOHM (1853- )
tree; but a See also:trust-worthy See also:account, by Mr L. E. See also:- ADAMS
- ADAMS, ANDREW LEITH (1827-1882)
- ADAMS, CHARLES FRANCIS (1807-1886)
- ADAMS, HENRY (1838— )
- ADAMS, HENRY CARTER (1852— )
- ADAMS, HERBERT (i858— )
- ADAMS, HERBERT BAXTER (1850—1901)
- ADAMS, JOHN (1735–1826)
- ADAMS, JOHN QUINCY (1767-1848)
- ADAMS, SAMUEL (1722-1803)
- ADAMS, THOMAS (d. c. 1655)
- ADAMS, WILLIAM (d. 162o)
Adams, will be found in the See also:Memoirs of the See also:Manchester See also:Literary and Philosophical Society for 1903, vol. xlvii., pt. 2.
The See also:geographical See also:distribution of the mole exceeds that of all the other See also:species of the genus taken together. It extends from See also:England to See also:Japan, and from the Dovre-Fjeld Mountains in Scandinavia and the See also:Middle Dwina region in See also:Russia to See also:southern See also:Europe and the southern slopes of the See also:Himalaya, where it occurs at an See also:elevation of Io,000 ft. In See also:Great See also:Britain it is found as far north as See also:Caithness, but in See also:Ireland and in the Western Isles of See also:Scotland (except See also:Mull) it is unknown. (See INSECTIVORA.) (G. E. D.; R.
End of Article: MOLE
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