Moles drinking from the river

According to some statistics, there are thousands of rat species in the world, more than human races. In addition to the domestic rat, vole, white rat is well known, as well as the world-renowned Mickey Mouse, most of them have no national name. However, there is a mouse, which was once common in the countryside. The townspeople call it "gopher". In fact, it has an easily misread scientific name "Mole". The mole is unique and has been recorded in history. The most famous is in the "Kindergarten Qionglin": "The wren nest forest, but one branch; the mole drinks the river, but the belly is full". Take it as a symbol of looking down on honor and disgrace and freeing yourself from life. In fact, the mole is the most humble. If you say "timid as a mouse", it is the most suitable for it.

It is about 6 cm long, black throughout, and has a brocade hair. Because of its blackness, it reflects the limbs and the snout is particularly red and tender. Its burrows live in the suburbs, near-sighted, only see the light and darkness, and judge food and danger by touch and taste. It is nocturnal and feeds on insects, earthworms and moths. When you hear the movement, you will escape into the cave.

After the autumn rice appeared, the farmers were busy planting, too late to thresh, and piled up piles of rice. This became a paradise for rats: ready-made food for wintering, warm nests. Rats are then inflected. However, it did not become a mouse, and the farmers threshed. Lift the rice stack and see the rat nest. From top to bottom, house rats, voles, moles near wet areas. Most of its mice are juvenile, as large as peanuts and rice, and their skin and flesh are clear and red and tender. At this time, the parents of the domestic rat voles have already fled, and there are unopened mice that "squeak" endlessly. Only the mother mole could not bear to leave, and comforted her children one by one with a nose kiss. Is it that it doesn't feel dangerous? No! This became a light meal for cats. After the cat ate all the other mice, it did not eat the small moles, so they bit them one by one, including the female mole. Moles stink and are not eaten by cats.

The mole is not rampant with rats, it is always humble to live. Sometimes when you get lost or looking for a companion, you will "squeak" along the foot of the wall, "squeak" for half a day. If the family travels, there are female moles nodding their heads, and the five or six small moles in the back bite the tail in front, and the fish are all over, like we play eagles to catch chickens. This is called "gopher's tail" (gopher's tail). Sometimes, the last mouse is greedy and lost, and then "squeaks" and calls, looking for the female mouse to turn back, and the mouse bites the tail of the female mouse to return. Is this a move to "drink the river"? Never seen it.

Mole rats actually do not waste food, often insectivorous ants, which is beneficial to humans. In the pastures, next to cattle pens, and under the rotting grass, there were many mole holes, and moles were commonly infested, or foraging, or hanging out. Sometimes we deliberately don't make a sound, we don't move, and it goes to your feet, sniffing here, smelling there. If you make a sound, you will squirm. Unlike rats, "whoosh—" a sound and disappear. It is also cute when it escapes, it can't run fast, and it has to sniff while running. A cat stared at it, but it didn't matter. What a rush! The cat pressed its back with one claw, and it turned to reveal two sharp rat teeth, touching the cat's tentacles with the tentacles. Those two rat teeth were white and long, but it just didn't bite. The cat loosened its paws and wanted it to run and chase it again. This is a trick of a cat teasing a mouse. But he didn't know whether he couldn't see clearly, or pretended to be calm, but instead faced the cat face to face, and stood up and used his front paws to cover the cat's whiskers. The cat probably did not meet such a calm lord, but instead lay down on his side and teased him with his paws. Until the cat ran out of fun, hit a few noses, and slept with sleepy eyes. At this time, the mole seems to say, since you don't want to play, then I go home! Although it is humble, it has no lack of humor, and it leaves without hurrying. The cat is too lazy to move. The sound of cats snoring came from behind. Even so, dead moles are common. That's mostly the work of cats.

Today, the mole is almost extinct on the outskirts of Shanghai, but it's worth it. The Czech animated series The Mole's Tale has influenced at least two generations – the cute humor and truth, goodness and beauty of the mole. (Shuomei)