Barbara Kluever, aged 12, of Washington, I11., for her question:

How fast can a mole travel

The mole enjoys life underground. Most of his time down there is spent tunneling for worms, grubs and insects, He must catch his own weight in food every twenty‑four hours, or starve. Mr. Mole, then, has not much time for traveling on the surface, what’s more, he is almost blind and would naturally feel uncomfortable out in plain view.

However, underground he is a great traveler. This is amazing when you consider that he must dig his tunnel as he goes. He digs with those powerful front paws, using a kind of brest stroke.

Records have been taken on Mr, Mole's travel time. He can dig 23 feet of tunnel in 7 hours. The tunnel, of course, is zig‑zag and Mr. Mole pauses to devour a snake from time to time. Moles have been known to dig 100 feet of tunnels, main lines and branch lines, in a day and night.