The times., 1899-10-15
A LUCKY NATURALIST.
One Woman's Fortune Made by Bee-
ties and Butfernfes.

Nothing succeeds like success" and sue
cess has dropped her blossoms into the lap
OF Mary Yeomans. SO that everyone calls
gan TO catch butterflies. her neighbors, who
CHANGED to know of it, called her -'bug
catcher" and many tale they told at her
expense TO shorten the long trails over the
mountain.
But when they found there was money
TO be had for the butterflies and saw her
increasing her stock and buying more land
the farmer folk wished they knew which
of the butterflies were the rare ones.
Mary Yeomans knew, and because she
knew she owns today a ranch worth $40, 600
An English girl, she had collected butter
flies for pleasure at home, and knew how
rare and how valuable some of the species
were.
She knew that in Europe rich men and
women collected butterflies and would
journey half around the world 10 find a
missing species. She knew, too, that they
were glad 10 pay well for what they want
ed. Besides the private people are mu-
seums, the academies of science. and col
leges, all wanting collections
She had visited great establishments in
London and Paris. where the sole stock in
trade was thousands and thousands of but
terfies and beetles and insects.
With her two brothers she went to live
in the wilds of northern California twenty
years ago, three gentlepeople who must
for the first time take thought of what
they should eat and wherewithal they
should be clothed.
Like most English colonists, they came
out 10 farm, and how well they have sue
ceeGed their well-fenced miles of sheep
lands show. Their sheep and their wool
always have a market, because they use
their brains in their farming.
They took up great tract of land, and
when they went out TO open up woods and
build fences over it, Mary was afraid TO
stay at home alone, and went with her
brothers, camping sometimes for days. In
her new home she had forgotten butter
flies till one hot afternoon, as she lay on
the mountain side under great mo5sy
tanbark oak listening to the distant strokes
OF an axe, flock of great yellow pansy-
like wings hovered moment over her and
then few up the mountainSide TO a patch
Of yellow honeysuckle
All alert in a moment, she followed the
butterflies up the steep mountain side.
She thought she recognized them as a
species known only in the higher Alps,
and very rare and valuable
When al last l did get one in my hands
! was sure it was the very kind 1 was
too excited to wait till morning, which is
the best time to catch butterflies, because
they are sluggish then in the cold, damp
foliage. I caught six before night, and the
rest OF the flock in the rnornins. pinned
onv Out carefully and sketched ii in water
color. had 10 be saving of my postage,
so / sent the sketch instead OF a box of
butterflies home 10 England
Such long wait as II was, and fancy
my delight when ] had word at last to
send all the butterflies to London. You
would never guess what they offered me
for them, S25 each. and as there were
twenty-three Of them, had the tidy little
sum Of s575. ali my own. and the first
money ] ever earned in my life
That was my beginning, and I was al
ways on the lockout for butterflies. With
nay money ! bought ten fancy sheep"
Miss Yeomans cellar is not for cat
aoles. buf is her nursery for beeIles
What appears TO be unsplit stoyewood
lies il rows on the floor. Each piece has
been split but tied together again, and