Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-09-03
AMI MOLE.
Not Effected by the Adder nor Reptiles of
ANY Kind.

Not Effected by the adder nor iAeptiicS Vi
Amy Kind.
Professor Larg had a female hedgehog
with young ones. iDclosed in a box, into
which he introduced a large viper Of the
ordinary kind, says a translation from
the French of carl Nogt. The latter
ROLES itself up in an opposite corner, but
the hedgehog seeming it. and slowly APP
preaching without sufficient ~precaution,
Wls bitten on the snOut. on which a drop
OF blood appeared. Returning to the
charge she received a second wound in
the tongue. without allowing herself to
be inumilated. she seized the serpent by
the body.
The two c~Cmhatants became furious.
the hecRch)g granting and shaking her
SELF. the viper striking AGAIN and again,
and providing himself at every fresh at
tack against the prickly skin of mis- op-
poueut.
suddenly the hedgehog seized him by
tho head, ana without any further sign
Of emotion dsyoured the anterior portion
Of the serpent. then quietly returned and
suchlci her young. The next day the re-
malnder OF t.. body was consumed by
her. These experiments were many times
repeated, and always with the same re-
F.lt, WIN. neither the mother nor her
litter were In the least degree injuriously
affected In their health by this curious
rcpaat.
The food of the hedgehog consists prin-
cipally OF insects. beetles, snails, white
worms aud vermin Of all kinds, but par
tlculariy mice. II the hedgehog had no
unpleasant doors and were Quicter in
pursuit Of prey one would certainly pre-
fer him To the cat Ak "a house mouscr.
He makes up ia cunning and patience for
his want Of agility. ana his noisy move
ments put to fight more mice than he
destroys. In RTanaries and stables,
where these latter obstacles are no oh
lection. DC must surely, in Inc. become
q useful domestic animal.
The mole is "a creature which Is stll
unfortunately for the agriculturlsO ig-
nerantiy regarded as the enemy Of the
farmer and gardener. Even I'm this en-
ilrhteued age the mole ia regarded as
the DESTROYER Of the useful and valuable
roots OF our fields and gardens, while 1t
Sc inDossibie to comprehend how, with
teeth formed only for tearing, 1t could
p,ssibly b. open 10 such an imputatloii.
Resides. what the mole eats must surely
bs found in its stomach. The dissection
of dozens Of these animals by Nost mas
never resulted in the detection or veg
table matter either IN us stomach OF III
t.stinea. EXPERIMENTS with moles Kept
in confinement are equally conclusive
on this point.
In the gardens the work OF the mole
"a certainly far from agreeable, but ths
inconvenience thur caused by the up
roofing Of young plants annot be com
rarcd To the ravages OF the white worms
nr lsrvae Of the cockchafer, when sur
,ivcs for three years, and during the
whole OF its larvael state of twenty-siA
months) feeds vOraciously on our
most valuable edible roots. OFTEN we
gae a large portion of a whole Held look
Inc dry and faded. wins 10 the raVaRes
of these white worms on the roots ana
those pests which are the principal 1000
80 the mole. The most superficial eN.
.wination Of TIE body OF a mole VIII
d.rnonstrate the fact that the animal
appeases it's hunger by deVourlhg q
ouantitv Of larvae equal TO nan Hs
IN weight. and that in consequence II
must destroy an immcnse number Vi
,bese enemies OF agriculture ana thuS
sccomplish a hundred times more worh
,n that direction than We could posslDiS
,erform. VOgt says he knows no o'hei
rrTsc,nal means Of successfully com
setting the white worm than by the pro
projection and multiplication Oh th'
mole.