20 Entomology and Zoology Department. [Bull. 168 



When he was feeding on earthworms, there was no evidence 

 of any attempt to first strip out the contents of the worm's 

 alimentary canal, as has been reported by one investigator. 



NATURAL ENEMIES AND CHECKS. 



BIRDS. Probably no mammal on the North American conti- 

 nent has so few natural enemies as the common mole. Since it 

 probably never leaves the darkness of its underground burrows 

 except by accident, it is much less subject to attack by predatory 

 animals than even the pocket gopher and the shrew, whose 

 habits are somewhat similar to those of the mole. The fol- 

 lowing data gleaned from "Hawks and Owls of the United 

 States," published by the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture, substantiates the above statement and shows how 

 little the mole has to fear from the so-called birds of prey : 



No. of Remains of Remains Remains 



BIRDS. stomachs common of of pocket 



examined. moles. shrews, gophers. 



Red-tailed hawk (Buteo borealis) 562 6 46 8 



Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) . . 220 3 40 



Broad-winged hawk (Buteo latissimus) , 65 1 16 



Barred owl (Syrnium nebulosum) 109 330 



Barn owl (Strix pratincola) 39 5 



Ten other hawks and owls (all that had 



eaten common moles, shrews, or pocket 



gophers) 1,131 35 14 



Totals 13 145 30 



In the above comparison it should be borne in mind that 

 owls disgorge the pellets of bones and hair shortly after a 

 meal. If to the figures on the pocket gopher in this table 

 should be added the large numbers of those animals whose 

 remains are found about the nests and roosting places of the 

 barn owl and great horned owl, particularly, the total would 

 be swelled enormously. Data on the number of moles and 

 shrews found in similar situations are not at hand, but if their 

 remains were at all conspicuous in the piles of disgorged pel- 

 lets the matter would have received mention. 



MAMMALS. The investigator has known personally of a few 

 cases of keen-scented dogs acquiring the habit of searching 

 out moles in fresh runways. The dog's sense of smell served 

 to locate the mole, which was then pounced upon and speedily 

 brought to the surface. In the files of the Rural New Yorker 

 is found a short article by a subscriber in Missouri, who 

 claimed to have several dogs that were adepts at this work. 



