468 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. {1 Jone, 1902. 
EXTERMINATION OF THE CANE GRUB. 
By A. J. BOYD. 
The widespread devastation effected by the sugar-cane grub in the North 
demands such a monetary sacrifice on the part of the planters and farmers that 
every proposed means for eradicating or even greatly minimising the pest 
deserves serious attention. 
In conversation with Mr. Clark, in charge of the experiment plots at 
Hambledon, he introduced the subject of the possible annihilation of the cane 
grub. He thought that this might be accomplished by attacking the insects in 
their own underground domain. Was there. any insectivorous animal in the 
country with grubbing or subterranean habits which could be employed for the 
urpose? Well, what about the European mole (Zalpa europea)? Lately in 
reneanire there has been a disastrous drought, and thousands of moles have 
died from its effects. The same destruction of moles also occurred in North- 
umberland. This destruction has had a very bad effect upon the soil, and has 
permitted the increase. of noxious insects which were kept in check by the 
gargantuan appetite of the mole. There is no animal in the world, domesticated 
or wild, which has such voracity. In particular, its favourite food is the larva 
of the cockchafer, and this is the very grub, or one nearly allied to it at all 
events, which is now devastating the Northern canefields. The mole devours 
frogs, worms, and animal pests of all kinds in enormous quantities. Every 
twelve hours it will eat more than its own weight of these delicacies, and if it 
cannot get that quantity in that time it will die of starvation. This has been 
absolutely proved by experiment. The mole is a species of “glutton” con- 
sequently. It will devour almost any kind of flesh. When maddened by 
hunger it does not hesitate to attack animals as large as itself. It is about 
6 inches in length, with a cylindrical body. Birds, lizards, frogs, and snakes 
all are equally welcome to this voracious eater. Toads it will not touch, 
probably on account of the milky exudation from the body of the useful toad, 
If two moles are confined together without food, one will attack the other, 
and the weaker one is invariably devoured by the conqueror. Vegetable food 
is rejected by it. 
It has many natural enemies in the old country, such as weasels, stoats, 
owls, kestrels, buzzards, &c. In this Cush it would, doubtless, also find its 
enemies in the hawks, snakes (particularly the carpet snakes), native cats, &c. 
They are capital swimmers, and take readily to the water. Bruce, writing in 
1793, remarks that he saw a. mole paddling towards a small island in the Loch 
of Clunie, 180 yards from land, where he saw molehills. 
All gluttons are great water-drinkers, and moles have a very ingenious 
method of procuring and preserving water, without which no mole would live 
twenty-four hours. Mons. La Court, a distinguished French naturalist, who 
made moles and their habits a special study, declared that they dig deep wells 
for water in their underground “ mansions” and preserve it against droughts. 
Let me describe the mole’s mansion, as given in the “ Encyclopedia 
Britannica.” This is constructed with the greatest ingenuity. By the way, 
‘each mole appropriates to itself a certain space of ground, which is his own 
particular hunting district. The fortress, or lair, consists of a central nest 
formed under a hillock, which is placed in some protected situation, as under 
a bank, or between the roots of trees. The nest, which is lined with dried 
grass or leaves, communicates with the main run by four passages, one of which 
only joins it directly, leading downwards for a short distance and then ascending 
again; the other three are directed upwards and communicate at regular 
intervals with a circular gallery constructed in the upper part of the hillock, 
which in turn communicates by five passages leading downwards and outwards 
with another much larger gallery placed lower down on a level with the central, 
nest, from which passages proceed outwards in different directions, one only 
communicating with the main run, while the others, curving round, soon join 
or end in ewls-de-sac (blind alleys). The main run is somewhat wider than the 
