424 SOME FOUR-FOOTED PESTS OF THE FARM 



at corn-planting time, the seed corn itself may be soaked in the 

 strychnine solution for twenty-four hours without injury. This 

 is perhaps the better way, as only the animals actually guilty of 

 attacking the planted corn are killed, while if poisoned corn is 

 distributed promiscuously valuable birds and innocent animals 

 may suffer. 



The common mole (Fig. 411) is usually not a pest, but a bene- 

 ficial animal, feeding upon worms and the various insects which 

 live in the ground. At times, however, it becomes a nuisance, 

 on account of the presence of its mounds in large numbers in 

 gardens and lawns. In spite of the fact that moles are largely 

 insectivorous in their habits, they sometimes eat garden products 



FIG. 411. The common mole. (From Muller.) 



which are below the surface of the ground and sometimes gnaw 

 bulbs. It is believed that they occasionally eat newly planted 

 corn and peas, and the writer has seen one in captivity eat every 

 pea in an opened pod which was thrown into its cage. 



Moles have few natural enemies. Even the common house 

 cat, though she may occasionally catch a mole, disdains to eat it. 



Trapping and Other Methods for the Mole. We have but few, 

 if any, records of successful attempts at poisoning moles. A 

 friend, to rid his garden of moles, soaked some seed peas in a 

 strychnia solution and placed them in the burrows. This resulted 

 in immediately stopping the depredations of the animals. Fresh 

 peas would furnish a more attractive bait. Soak them in a strych- 

 nia solution or wet them and roll them in powdered strychnine. 

 Excellent results have been obtained by the use of a spear trap 



