Manchester Memoirs, Vol. xlvii. (1903), ^0. 4. 37 



Without entering upon the question of good or evil 

 that moles do, which is entirely a matter of circum- 

 stances, I may remark that, if mole-catchers really did 

 their best to get rid of them, they would dig out the nests 

 containing young as well as trap some of the adults, but 

 then of course their occupation would soon be gone ! 



1 cannot refrain from giving a receipt for poisoning 

 the mole quoted by the Rev. Dr. Grierson :— " Take a 

 handful of oatmeal, and pour so much water on it (stirring 

 it all the while) as to bring it into the consistence of 

 porridge, or thin brose. With every English pint of this, 

 mix ten grains of corrosive sublimate. Pour a small 

 quantity of this mixture on a piece of board, and lay it 

 close by the mole's hill. Drop on it twenty drops of the 

 oil of rhodium, or the oil of thyme, which has had a grain 

 or two of musk mingled with it. The poison is to be put 

 down at night, and in dry weather." 



I have eaten many strange dishes in many strange 

 places, and I must say that an extensive experience tends 

 to warn one against animals with dark flesh like that 

 of the mole. Shrews, tom-tits, and other insectivorous 

 creatures have a bitter taste, and hitherto I have been 

 content with the musky odour of the adult mole. But, 

 when I considered the baby mole about ten days old, 

 fed solely on milk, and resembling a miniature sucking 

 pig, I could not refrain h'om a trial. So I had a couple 

 boiled accordingly, and ate them without salt or other 

 condiment which might conceal their flavour, and I found 

 them excellent, much like rabbit, the flesh being white 

 and very tender. I must admit, however, that I have 

 not made a single convert to my view, even among my 

 intimate friends, which shows how deterrent prejudice 

 may be to scientific research, not to speak of household 

 economy. 



