74 1 ON T,7E GRUB OF THE COCK-CHAFER. 



They arc the fa- The fame man informed me that they were the favourite 



■StaT* *'* f °° d ^ m ° Ies ; and he defired me t0 obferve an end of the 

 bank notttripped (being cohered with molehills) ; " for there 

 no beetle grubs would be found." When opened, his remark 

 proved true : — the moles had traced all the labyrinths of the 

 grubs. 



which on this I took the hint for the prefervation of my foliage, and have 



a rote U 6tion ferVe ' SeVer finCC P roteaed the race of moles. The brown beetles 

 gradually decreafed, and are now rarely feen here. I have 

 not obferved more than one or two ftragglers in the two laft 

 fprings. 

 General habits Some notice of the habits of moles may be acceptable to the 

 Society, as it has been laid W that they penetrate deep into 

 the earth in dry weather; rarely quit their fubterrancous 

 dwellings, aud have few enemies j w — and ♦* that they do 

 great mifchief in gardens and corn-grounds." 

 They are much I have always found that in hay and paflure grounds, as foon 

 °"! he ^ r f ace as the grafs is high enough to cover them, they run upon the 

 is high. furface, where they find their food in the numerous caterpil- 



lars and infecls which in the early part of the fummer crawl 

 out of the earth ; and they continue above ground till the har- 

 veft. They are frequently cut by the fcythe ; and I have feen 

 them at various times come out of deep hay grafs into places 

 recently mown, and, perceiving their expofure, endeavour to 

 conceal themfelves in the fliorn grafs. 

 Po not dig deep j J have alfo often feen moles on very clofe mown grafs, and 

 bare fpots in paflure land, plunge, when alarmed, among the 

 roots ; following their path (which was difcernible by the 

 heaving of the furface), I have forced them out occafionally, 

 to try the depth of the covering, which was only a few fhreds 

 of roots. 

 except to avoid There arc two circum fiances that may oblige moles fomc- 

 f h ade l0U |c ° r times t0 P enetrate dee ply :— diflurbed foils in fummer, fuch 

 as in gardens ; and ploughed light lands, where the moles 

 delve in purfuit of worms; and, in their courfe, they mull 

 unroot and deftroy fome plants ; but a vigilant gardener and 

 hufbandman will prevent much damage. 

 or toefcape The other caufe of their digging deep is frofl, which they 



' c * avoid, or it would kill them. I have found them in winter, 



in peat foil, two and three feet below the furface ; and in the 

 hard fro ft of 1794-5 (cutting deep trenches to feparate 



grounds,) 



