GOLDEN MOLE OF SOUTH AFRICA 



consisted of beetles, worms, and the larvae and eggs 

 of a variety of insects and other creatures v^hich 

 prey upon the roots of plant life. 



The Golden Mole prefers the cultivated grounds 

 of the farmer to the hard veld, for the all-sufhcient 

 reason that among the crops are to be found insects 

 and their larvae in abundance. From all sides certain 

 species of beetles, moths, etc., congregate and lay 

 their eggs in the soil among the growing crops. 

 These eggs hatch out into grubs, which devour the 

 roots of the plants, including the potato tubers. 

 When adult, the grub turns into what is called a 

 chrysalis or pupa, and eventually leaves the ground 

 as a winged insect. It is these grubs on which the 

 little Mole wages incessant warfare. To make it 

 of the utmost possible value to man, the Creator 

 has endowed it with powerful digestive organs, and 

 an appetite so keen that it is all night on the prowl 

 for food. 



It is alleged that earthworms do an immense 

 amount of good to the soil by bringing up the 

 deep subsoil and casting it upon the surface, after 

 passing it through their bodies, and that the Mole 

 destroys these worms. The earthworms which 

 throw up hills are seldom found in cultivated 

 lands. They prefer the undisturbed, uncultivated 

 veld, and burrow deep down into the soil. The 

 Mole subsists largely on wire-worms which feed 

 upon the potato tubers. These so-called " wire- 

 worms " are big grubs, and are the larvae of beetles. 



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