72 THE MOLE 



grass pastures and lawns chiefly in pursuit of the 

 leather grub the ' pout ' of the Scottish farmer which 

 is the larva of the common too common daddy-long- 

 legs. 



A few summers ago I was staying with a farmer hi 

 Somersetshire, and I was amazed by the hordes of 

 daddy-long-legs which swarmed over his pastures. I 

 never saw this insect in anything like similar numbers ; 

 they gave the fields the appearance of being covered 

 with a film of mist. When I reflected that every one of 

 these millions had existed for three years underground 

 as a leather grub, devouring the roots of the sweetest 

 grasses, and impoverishing the pasture, I formed a faint 

 idea of the mischief which their presence represented, 

 and I looked about for traces of their natural enemy, 

 the mole. Not a single mole-cast was to be seen 

 throughout my friend's territory ! When I observed to 

 him that it was a pity there were no moles to combat 

 this formidable pest. ' Moles ! ' quoth he ; 'we don't 

 allow any of that vermin. Every parish in the county 

 employs a mole-catcher, and I think we have got rid of 

 them pretty well.' 



Now what is the obvious lesson from this? Why, 

 that if you object to mole-casts and mole-runs, a large 

 part of your crop will never reach maturity. Your 

 grass land will ' go back ' ; your young corn will show 

 large bare patches where the grubs have cut it, and 

 there will be numerous blanks in your turnip drills. 

 Better far better to leave the moles to their silent, 

 beneficent duties, and spend the money which you give 



