Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 3, 1802).djvu/243

221&#93; MOL <}nadrupeds, thit live entirely on worms and insects, of which they consume incalculable numbers, are rot to be considered as harmless, JDay, useful rather than noxious ; espcci;dly as they have their formi- dable natural enemies in foxes, martins, weasels, hedge-hogs, ser- pents, and cats. Fartlier, it has been observed, that tields and gar- dens, where all the moles had been caught, abounded with vermin and insefts. But, if these burrowing creatures become too numerous and hurtful to the vegetation of plants, or dangerous to dykes and banks, the most easy method of de- stroying them is, to expose a few living lobsters in a deep-glazed eartlien vessel, the top of which is somewhat narrower than its basis, so that they cannot escape : sucii a pot must be buried several inches deep in the ground, and covered with green sods, so as to be acces- sible to the mole, which is remark- ably partial to that shell-fish. No sooner has one of the former en- 'tcred the pot, than others from the vicinity will hasten to the fatal receptacle, in consequence of the noise made by the captive ; and thus meet with inevitable destruc- tion, MOLE-CRICKET, or Gn/Uus .gryllo-talpa, L. a destructive in- Stch., in the vicinity of rivers, in- festing moist meadows, and gar- dens, in which it does great injury to the plants and roots ; destroying whole beds of cabbages, fiowcrs, &c. It is produced from an egg, and furnished with wings simdar to those of the common cricket, together with a pair of fore-feet resembling those of a mole, and' with which it works its way be- neath the soil, raising up ridges in its subterraneous progress, and MOL [221 defacing the beauty of gardoq- walks. — No method has hitherto been discovered of preventing tlie depredations of these pernicious vermin. But, as the generality of crickets are particularly averse to the fetid exhalations of hogs'-dung, it is highly probable that the mole- cricket may be expelled, though ' not extirpated, by spreading this kind of manure upon infested lands. MoLE-ri,ouGn. See Draim- ING, vol. ii. p. LOp. MOLTEN-GREASE, a disor- der in horses, consisting of a tat or oily discharge with the faeces : it arises from a coiliquatipn or niek- ing down of the animal's fat, iu consequence of violent exercise iii very hot weather. This diseas-s is always attended with fever, heat, restlessness, start- ing and treml)ling», great sickness, shortness of breath, and sometiqies with inflammaiory symptoms. The horse rapidly liecomes lean, and, if it sui"vive this attack, commonly grows hide-bound : his legs swell, and continue in that state, till thft humours are in a more natural condition ; but, if the disorder be neglefted, the farcy, or an obi*ti- nate surfeit, generally succeeds, and which is with ditBculty re- moved. The tirst step towards effcdlng a cure of this malady, ought to be prol'use blood-letting ; an operation which should be repeated, though in smaller quantities, for two or three successive days. Immediate- ly atter these evacuations, two or three rowels should be introduced, with a view to promote a large drains while cooling emollient clyij- ters are administeied, to abate the fever. Tjie drink should consist ©f warm wateror gjiiel, with cream of