The Portland daily press., 1898-01-08
COSTLY LOT OF BUTTERFLIES.
Now Housed in the Museum of Natura
History at New York.
George e. Walsh in Scientific Ameri-
CAM

CAM
| The museum of natural history New
York, recently obtained one or the nnest
collections of butterflies in the world,
and visitors interested in things Deautl-
| fu1 or matters scientific may soon ex-
anime at their pleasure and convenience
the gaudy wings and plumages OF butter
flies that have been gathered at the risk
of life and health from every quarter Of
the Globe. Owing to the delicate hues
and colorings on the wings of some of
these giddy creatures, they cannot be ex-
posed to the bright light of the exhibit
ton halls without losing something OF
their charm and beauty, and they Will be
mounted and kept in rooms where the
light is artificially shaded to suit the ex-
hibits.
| The general public gains an insight
into the work of the entomologlst III
viewing this collection OF butterflies, es-
pecially if much additional information is
given which will enliven the SUBJECT
with popular descriptions OF the odd
creatures and their habits. One hardly
realizes 1.-The extent to which collectors
have carried their hobby, and how many
risks and dangers have been braved in
order to capture rare specimens In odd
corners of the earth. To make colleo-
ton of value to science, the buttcrhies
from all regions of the earth must be rep
resented-those from the jungles OF India,
from the oannibal islands of the South
Pacific, and from the cold plateaus OF our
great northern regions where only few
living forms can exist. One man could
hardly capture specimens of all the but
terfiies in existence, even though he spent
a lifetime at the work and lived to be
twice three-score and ten. A large collec-
ton consequently means the work OF
dozens or even scores of men scattered
Throughout the world, but brought to-
gether and arranged by one OF two enthu-
siastic entomologiats of rare skill and
knowledge in identifying and classifying
the creatures.
The high prices paid for rare specimens
of butterflies has had the effect OF indu-
cling dishonest collectors to impose upon
the innocent. Recently the entomologist
of the London Natural History Museum
received an apparently new and beautiful
, butterfly, from India; but upon a micro
J scopical examination it proved to be an
, ordinary variety, artfully and skillfully
.. dyed. This was the first time that this
, trick had been performed but it was get
} ting to be quite an old story at the muse.
nm to receive consignments of butterflies
of composite nature; that is, the wings
of several different species would be re-
moved and composite butterflies Oh
unique appearance would then be manu-
featured from them.
There are a number of wealthy ento-
mologists in England who own private
collections of butterflies valued all the
way from 100000 to $150,000. The
most costly. and probably the most per-
feet, collection in TIE world, private or
nuhlic, IS owned by Waller Rothschtld,
and is kept in his private museum Of
Tring. in Hertfordshire. The collection
has probably cost It's owner several hun
dred thousand dollars-the exact sum can
only be guessed at. 1t is the accession OF
these wealthy collectors TO the ranks OF
the professional entomologists that makes
it possible for butterfly hunters to secure
the high prices that rare specimens COM
man1 today. There is no regular table
or set list of prices, but it may be said in
a general way that they vary from few
cents apiece for common insects up to
, one hundred or more dollars for very
, rare creatures The African Papilio anti
machus, very rare butterfly, is quoted
high in the London market, and beau-
tifu1 pair recently sold for $l30 at auction.
New Guinea butterflies were exceeding
; ly high priced a few years ago. and some
of them brought as much as 500 apiece !;
, but today they are more plentiful, ana
,, sell at about half this price. Papillo
caunus one of the mimic butterflies, will
generally bring $50 in the market today.
! When the hunters first began to penetrate
| into the wilds of the unexplored regions
of the earth for butterflies. exorbitant
prices were offered for the Few rare spec
linens brought back. The wealthy collec-
tors then Paid prices that were out OF all
proportion to the real value of the insects,
report having it that an American collec-
! tor offered $1,000 for a single rare spec1-
men, and one of the ROthsch1lds palu
half this sum for Papilio that Is quite
common today.
In the Denton collection, recently
! placed on view in New York at the
American art galleries, there were l5UU
varieties represented, and their value mas
been yariously estimated at $2o, O0o 20
$50, O00 Most OF the specimens were
caught and mounted by the two owners
of the collection, William and Sicily W.
Denton; but others were gathered by pr
yate hunters in different parts of the
!, earth, or purchased outright in the Lon
don market. There are several London
firms engaged in butterfly collecting, and
m 1st of the rare specimens find their way
81 oner or later, to them. They have trav
, cling entomologists in every part OF the
earth who collect for Them such specl,
3 mems as they need. These authorized
agents for the firms are supplemented by
I fres lances and general collectors OF every,
thing queer and unique that can be found
7 i'll tho out-of-t the way corners of the earth;
3 They unite butterfly collecting to orchid
and lizard hunting in such a way thai
4 they are pretty sure of good rewards
. They go forth into the great tropical
7 woods and swamps, armed with three SETS
4 of hunting implements; one is for gather,
ing orchids, another for shooting Wild
4 boasts and human enemies, and third
J. for corraling and preserving rare butter
4 f1es.
!. The latter work is not the least inter
Y esting of the three, and one that is prob
q ably known the least about. The hunt