Biological Papers. 131 



the resistant soil requires a correspondingly large amount of food 

 to supply that energy. That they must have this food at frequent 

 intervals also is shown by the fact that a mole in captivity usually 

 starves in a few hours unless supplied with nourishment. 



I have tried to make it apparent that the mole is one of nature's 

 forces to be reckoned with by the agriculturist as he would reckon 

 with nitrogen-forming bacteria, the birds that visit his fields and 

 the bees that pollinate his fruit blossoms. If the individual mole 

 is not out of place, mark him down as an asset and proceed accord- 

 ingly. If he is where we do not want him, we are privileged to set 

 swift death on his track in the form of trap, poison or club. 



