The snows and hard frosts have meant that mole-catching around the Borders has been delayed. The practice may seem cruel but the activities of these little diggers, if not controlled, can mean the loss of grazing grounds on livestock farms.
One of the strongest animals in the world, a mole can create its mole hill in seconds. If you tied ten moles together in a line, the front one would be able to pull them all along. Their front feet are turned out and highly modified for the purpose o
f creating their tunnel networks.
A mole digs by bracing itself with its hind legs and one of its fore feet against the tunnel sides. It digs with one fore foot at a time, alternating them every few minutes. Some of the earth loosened by the wide fore feet is consolidated around the walls while the rest is pushed to the surface creating the familiar molehills.
The number of molehills depends on the density of the soil – the denser, the soil, the more mole hills. Rutting runs, also known as "traces d'amour", are so close to the surface that they may leave a raised area across a field or even an open furrow. The mole will create runs like this at other times of the year when something has excited them.
Their food is the insects, myriapods, earthworms and molluscs which unwittingly find themselves in the moles' semi-permanent tunnels. In their food stores, wriggly piles of earthworms, called knots are commonly found. The mole bites the head off the worm to immobilize it, keeping relatively large food stores for an animal of only 10-15cm in length.
The mole is the only animal that leads a truly subterranean existence. Mole hills are common and often numerous on permanent pasture but a larger mole hill usually indicates a nest site. This larger mound is called a fortress; directly underneath is the breeding chamber which has multiple entrances for escape and ventilation.
The nest is lined with grass and leaves which the moles obtain by popping their heads above ground and feeling around for the suitable materials.
Apart from the breeding season, February through March, males and females occupy separate tunnels. The branched system of tunnels is designed to increase the capacity for catching and storing food, reaching depths of 70cm. The tunnels are slightly oval in cross-section, about 5cm wide and 4cm high
The skull is 3.25cm long, more than a quarter of the animal's full length. Of a total of 44 teeth, 22 above and 22 below, the upper canines are large and dominant. The skull is widest over the auditory region which is indicative of its sensitive hearing.
In days of lore and strange medical practices, the mole had several uses. One obscure remedy for a fever was to skin a male mole, dry and powder its pelt, then mix it with gin to create a tonic. Equally bizarre was the practice of cutting a paw from a mole and using it to cure toothache. A cure more akin to witchcraft is the use of moles' blood to cure a wart.
Thus far I have resisted the temptation to try any of these cures. I remember seeing an Aboriginal cure sunburn with the blood of a creature he had killed, so maybe there is some use in these strange, otherworldly remedies.
