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 MOLE 705 chief tendency of the national party. Sturdza often gave umbrage to the representatives of Kussia and a revolutionary outbreak in Wal- lachia in 1848 was again followed by a Russian occupation. A new treaty was concluded by the Porte and the czar Nicholas at Balta Li- man in 1849, in consequence of which Sturdza resigned his office, and another boyar, Gregor Ghika, was elected hospodar for seven years. The war of 1853-'6 destroyed the new basis. The Russians again occupied the principalities, but the military events on the Danube and in the Crimea compelled their troops to evacuate them, when they were occupied by the neutral armies of Austria. The peace of Paris in 1856 aggrandized Moldavia with the southernmost portion of Bessarabia, which was detached from Russia, and referred the affairs of the principalities, which were to be united, to a conference at Paris of the representatives of the great powers, the Porte, and Sardinia, which, in August, 1858, finally agreed on a new plan of organization. Soon after Alex- ander Couza was elected hospodar for life in both principalities, which, being an unex- pected event, as two elections were anticipa- ted in accordance with the protocol of the conference, led to new complications. The influence of France prevailed in favor of the tendency to national union, and the election was confirmed by the Porte, and acknowledged by all other parties. In December, 1861, the permanent union of the two principalities, un- der the title of Roumania, was proclaimed at Bucharest and Jassy. (See ROUMANIA.) MOLE, the name of many insectivorous mam- mals of the family talpidce, embracing several genera which agree in having a stout, thick, clumsy body, without visible neck, no exter- nal ears, minute auditory foramina, very small eyes, short limbs, the anterior much the broad- est and largest, with strong claws, short tail, and soft, velvety, and compact fur. Moles are generally distributed over the earth, except in South America and within the tropics, though the genera are closely restricted within certain regions ; thus talpa is found only in Europe and Asia, scalops and condylura in North America, chrysochloris in Africa, and urotri- chus in Japan and N". "W. America. In talpa (Linn.) the dentition is : incisors -f, canines none, and molars -f-z-f-, the first of the molars representing a canine (the upper in front of the lower), and the last three tuberculate ; by some writers the fourth tooth on each side in each jaw is called a canine, which would make the teeth equal in number and alike in kind in both jaws. The nose is lengthened, truncate at the point; feet five-toed, the soles of the fore feet turned backward, with toes connect- ed and strong claws. The European mole (T. Europaea, Linn.) is 5 or 6 in. long, with a tail of 1 in. ; the fur is blackish and very fine; the bones of the fore limbs are very short and strong, supported by firm clavicles, and end- ing in a shovel-shaped hand, strengthened by the elongated falciform carpal bone, armed with large claws, and moved by muscles of great power; the sternum is keeled for the attachment of the pectoral muscles, the prin- European Mole (Talpa Europaea). a. Fore paw. &. Hind paw. c. Nest. cipal ones employed in digging their burrows ; the muscles of the head are also powerful as- sistants in loosening the earth as the animal pursues its underground passage, preparing the way by its pointed, movable, hog-like snout. The senses of smell, hearing, and touch are very acute. The eyes are two black glittering points, about the size of mustard seed, con- cealed and protected by the surrounding skin and hairs. The popular belief that the mole is blind is an error ; the mole of Greece men- tioned by Aristotle as blind is either the spe- cies T. caeca (Sav.), in which there is no visible ocular fissure, or perhaps a burrowing rodent or rat-mole (genus spalax, Guld.), in which the very small eyes are hidden under the hairy skin. The openings of the ears and mouth may be closed by membranous folds to prevent the entrance of earth ; the vent is considerably prolonged upon the tail. Four or five young are produced at a time, twice a year, in spring and autumn. The food consists of worms, in- sects, and tender roots, in search of Which it burrows in the ground ; these excavations also serve as places of residence and as highways of travel from one field to another ; its abode is in some firm hillock in a secure situation, in which are two circular galleries connected by a chamber excavated in the centre of the lower gallery; these communicate by intricate pas- sages with the high road, through which the animal passes with considerable speed, though very slow-moving on the surface of the ground ; the road is placed at a depth of from 4 to 14 in., according to its exposure to pressure from above. The mole frequently comes to the sur- face to get rid of the loosened earth ; it is very voracious, and is soon killed by hunger ; it is active all winter, though at a depth of a foot or more, and in summer at night frequently seeks its prey at the surface; it is a good swimmer ; when irritated it bites severely, and