The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-07-26
MAKING MEXICAN eoLo-suas.
Unprecedented Demand for the Insects
Hog the June-Bug Is Utilized.

Unprecedented Demand for the insects
HOY the June-Bug Is Utilized.
A short time ago the small boys of Ey-
anston were thrown into a state Of great
excitement by the appearance or a strange
old man in the town. The mysterious in
diyidual, clad in linen. duster carrying
bingham umbrella, and wearing green
goggles, was not long in gathering the en-
tire male population about him by reason
Of the astonishing offer which he made
BE agreed to pay cents each for large
sized and well-formed June-bugs- II a
hrecracker as large as a -four barrel had
exploded in the school-room it would not
have created near as much excitement as
the offer of the strange old man Not
more than half of the youngsters went
back after the noon recess, and a grand
June-bug roundup was instituted After
schoOl-hours the youngsters who hadn't
played ~hookey" joined the other hunters,
and the result was terrible shaking-up OF
June-bugs
The mysterious stranger kept his word,
and paid cents apiece for all the able
bodied June-bugs which had not been
manned or wounded in the excitement OF
the chase At nightfall he went back TO
the city carrying cigar-box full OF the
finest June bugs in the land, while all the
little boys in Evanston reveled in taffy.
bugs was found to occupy little room on
State street, which is strewn with bric-a-
brac and articles sold by street peddlers.
In glass case were the June-bugs, and on
a little oil-stove pot of fine shellac was
kept in liquid state. On some cotton
batting on a table were several magnif-
cent golden beetles with golden wings and
delicately shaped claws and nippers.
"Where did you get these?" queried the
visitor "They are Mexican gOld-bugs,
amt they, and are worth considerable
money?
Mexican gold-bugs? Why, there can't
any bug that ever buzzed match those
fellows. | sold three of those to-day for
e16, and the man that got them wants me
to make contract to furnish no one but
him with them. I've got bonanza here"
%How's that?"
@Why, haven't you heard about the gold
bug that Miss Folsom wore back from
Paris. They are all the rage. Well,
put something on the market which dis
counts the genuine article.
"Under pledge of secrecy I'll let you
into the scheme,s but it dOsen't matter
much guess you have got in already"
With that the man picked up June
bug, fastened it in a steel bodkin, and
then suddenly plunged it into the shellac.
Reaching into the drawer, he drew forth
pad of lambs wool, dashed it over the
gummy June-bug and in an instant there
was q startling transformation Writing
on the end of the steel bodkin was golden
beetle He had washed a June-bug in
gold dust.
"I make two kinds" continued the in
ventor, gazing at his handiwork admir-
ingly, "the animate and inanimate.
When 1 make the animated article 1
merely dip the wings and back in the
shellac, which, by the way, is prepared
especially for this purpose. 1t has to be
very fine and just so thin. The inanimate
specimens are made by plunging the
whole body into the shellac. 1t kills them
instantly and covers every speck of their
bodies. Then 1 put on two coats of gold
dust and they are practically embalmed.
They will last life time with proper
care, and when 1 put them in front of
jewellers they think they have struck
magnificent piece of jewelry work until
they handle them. The weight gives
them away then. I'm thinking of bury
ing a buckshOt in every June-bug and
then they'll weight up to the standard. L
don't suppose the live-bug craze will last
much after the Folsom boom dies out, but
the dead bug will become a fixture. Pm
going to get patent on the process. There
are good American dollars in it"
Gold bugs are in great demand just now
and the mysterious man on State street is
very busy. The American June-bug Is
certainly superior to the insect imported
from Mexico. If the little boys of
Evanston don't corner the market on
June-bugs, Mexican gold-bugs will be
cheap in a few days.-Chicago News.