was falling, or rather being blown, in a perfect torrent. Hoping that every hour might bring some remission of the tempest, I waited until about 9 A.M., and then opened the box. Twelve hours had just elapsed since the mole had received his last supply of worms, and as he must have spent considerable time in hunting them about his box, I should think that at least another hour must have passed before the last worm was consumed. But, the mole was dead. He had not been dead very long; he was quite stiff, with one of his paws held out sideways, as if his last act had been to fling the julus away, and his nose, still flexible, was pressed upon the earth.

I much lamented his loss, but could not charge myself with neglect. I forgot to weigh the worms which he devoured, but as they would have filled my two hands held cupwise, I may infer that they weighed very little less than the animal who ate them. From the extreme voracity and restless movements of this creature, I can well comprehend the value of the mole to the agriculturist; firstly, as a subsoil-drainer, who works without wages, and, secondly, as the means appointed for keeping the prolific race of worms within due bounds.

Of course, the fur was filled with parasites, as is the case with all animals, and very tough parasites they were, refusing for a long time to succumb to the fumes of ammonia, and being only killed by a twelve hours' immersion in that potent

vapour.

Being desirous of turning the dead animal to the best account, I determined to try my hand again at preserving the skin after Mr. Waterton's system. I have already tried a water-vole, and failed very completely, but hope that this time the defeat will be less conspicuous.

As the fur was slowly drying after its immersion, I was surprised to see that a decided reddish tint was perceptible upon its surface. Thinking that this effect might have been produced by the reflection from some coloured substance, I moved it to another window, but found that the colour was visible whenever the light fell obliquely upon the fur. The tint is exactly that of a copper teakettle just where the copper changes into red, and whenever the light falls diagonally upon the fur, a rich green gloss plays fitfully over the soft hairs. These effects were not visible before the fur was thoroughly washed, and even the gray-brown tints seemed to deepen notably after the cleansing process which precedes the skinning of quadrupeds intended to be mounted upon that system.