MOLES. 



73 



an unmitigated nuisance. On this subject Macgillivray writes 

 that " by destroying vast quantities of worms and grubs, the 

 Mole may be considered as conferring a benefit on the agricul- 

 turist; and by perforating the soil, and throwing up the 

 earth, it has been by some alleged to improve the natural pas- 

 tures, especially in hilly districts, but in the cultivated grounds, 

 and particularly in gardens and nurseries, the injury which it 

 inflicts by its incessant labour is more obvious than any benefit 

 that is derived from them, and, in fact, sometimes very great." 

 This was written in pre-Darwinian days, when the importance 

 of worms in improving and renovating the soil was quite un- 

 recognised, and it is therefore perhaps more than an open ques- 

 tion whether their destruction is an advantage. On the other 

 hand, the quantity of grubs and other noxious creatures which 

 the Mole consumes undoubtedly renders the creature service- 

 able to the farmer. On the whole, some of those best entitled 

 to give an opinion on the subject, are in favour of not destroy- 

 ing the Moles on agricultural land. It is, however, essential 

 that on pasture land the mole-hills should be knocked about 

 and spread in the early spring, before the grass is allowed to 

 stand for hay, when the fine earth of which they are composed 

 forms an excellent top-dressing. 



The Mole has several enemies which do rot reflect whether 

 or not it is valuable to man, and kill it ruthlessly whenever they 

 have the opportunity, the chief of these being Weasels, Owls, 

 and Buzzards. That Weasels kill Moles has been demonstrated 

 on more than one occasion, when they have been seen carry- 

 ing off the bodies of their victims ; while in the case of Owls 

 the occurrence of the remains of Moles among their castings 

 affords decisive evidence. In the case of the Buzzard, Mr. 

 Harting remarks that the bird, ''in the vicinity of mole-hills 

 will take up a position on some tree and watch until it sees a 

 Mole working near the surface, when it will instantly drop 



