ved 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
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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