Bobby Yell, age 9, of Hayesville. Ala., or is question

Does a mole have eyes?

Mr. Mole spends his life digging tunnels through the crumbly soil. Down there in the darkness there is no sunshine, no daylight. His life is an endless night. Even a sharp eyed cat cannot see in jet black darkness. The busy mole could not see anything in his dark tunnels, even if he had the sharpest eyes in the world,

Many people think that the bat is blind. But this furry flier can See in the dim twilight as well as you can. His eyesight is far sharper than the eyesight of the underground mole, if you examine Mr., Mole, you might think that he is quite blind. Chances are you could not find his eyes at all, and without eyes, of course, he could not see.

However, the little digger does have a pair of eyes. They are hidden in his furry face, just where you would expect them to be. Each eye is no bigger than the head of an ordinary pin. The little fellow cannot see much with such tiny eyes, and he is almost, but not quite blind.

Mr. Mole could not see a thing in the midnight darkness of his tunnels. Big, sharp eyes would be no use to him. Besides, they would cause him trouble. It would be impossible to keep crumbs of soil and gritty stones from getting into a pair of big, bright eyes. His eyes are just right for the kind of life he lives.

All year long, he digs his dark tunnels and never pokes his head above the ground. If this were the whole story, he would need no eyes at all, but there comes a time when Mr. And Mrs. Hole get ready to have a family. They are good parents and want the very best for their children; the babies will need a cozy nest, and Mr., Mole gets busy collecting the soft materials to build it.

Chances are he may have to go above the ground to find leaves and other soft scraps to line the nest. He uses his nose to guide him, for his little eyes cannot see anything closely. He sees only light and dark patches of the scenery. Mr. Mole does his chores and scuttles away from this scary world as fast as he can.

The mole is a scrappy fellow, always ready to pick a fight. He attacks gophers and voles, snakes and even other moles when he meets them in his tunnels. And he is strong and brave enough to win all his battles. But once each year he risks his life, When he goes upstairs to find stuffing for the nest, he can be seen by owls and hungry weasels, by dogs and many other enemies. And the little fellow's eyes are not sharp enough to warn him of the danger.