BLESMOL, MOLE RAT AND SAND MOLE 



in Naniaqualand and the western parts of the Cape 

 Province, and extends eastwards to Port Ehzabeth, 

 where it is common. 



The Blesmol is rusty-brown above, shading to paler 

 at the sides. The head is almost black, with pure 

 white patches around the ear openings, eyes, nostrils 

 and mouth. The body of an adult averages 8 inches. 



The typical Mole Rat is Georychus hottentotiis. 

 It is uniform dark slaty in colour without any vestige 

 of white. 



The fur in most species has a rusty tinge. 



It is common in the eastern parts of the Cape 

 Province, extending from Stellenbosch in the west, 

 to Natal on the east. 



There is another species or kind known as Darling's 

 Blesmol {Georychus darlingi) which is the same size 

 and colour as the former, but it can at once be dis- 

 tinguished by the patch of pure white fur which is 

 present on the top of its head. 



When ploughing or digging up land with a spade 

 or hoe these destructive rodents are often unearthed, 

 as well as the little insect-eating Golden Mole. 

 The gardener and farmer, as a general rule, do not 

 know one from the other, and regarding both as 

 vermin they are destroyed. If the farmer knew a 

 little of the Natural History of his country, and made 

 an intelligent study of the various creatures in his 

 neighbourhood, he would know, for instance, that 

 the Golden Mole is a friend and ally, and that the 

 Blesmol and Mole Rat are pests in cultivated lands. 



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