The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-05-02
----------------- HIS CORNER IN BEETLES.


 Anybody Who Wants New Amblychi
 la Cylindriformis Must Go to Profes-
 sor Snow.
 When legislators are stingy ana the cause of higher education is threatened by reason of financial depression all Chancellor Snow of Kansas University
 has to do is to swap beetles for dollars.
 He is the only living man who ever ran a corner on natural product and made it hold good for decade.
 It was in the spring of 1878 that Pro- lessor Snow and two conspirators who were students at the time in his depart ment went in search of tiger beetles known to entomologists as Amblychlla cylindriformis. At this particular time specimens of this species of beetle had a ready sale in the open markets of the world at twenty-five dollars each. There was a clamorous demand from Berlin and Heidelberg, Edinburgh Par is, London and New York, which no one could supply. There was no suspicion in the scientific mind that this species of beetle ought to be found in western Kansas. Professor Snow made conf dants of two favorite students, prom ised them one third of all the beetles they could catch, and the expedition set forth in the summer of 1873. It was in Wallace county that the expedition finally landed. Here it. remained three months. So many beetles of the rare species were captured that the young men sold third interest in the colec- tion to Professor Snow for enough mon- ey to pay their way through college for two years. And at that the willy profess sor drove the best bargain of his life With more than thousand beetles Of rare species which entomologists all over the world were clamoring for In his possession, Professor Snow sold sufficient number to make good his pay ment to the students, pay all the ex- penses of the expedition and complete through an exchange collection of eight thousand species of beetles, the largest collection in the world. The chancellor of the State university still has beetles of this species left, and they are the only available ones for the col lector in the world.
 Never before nor since this famous trip has the Amblychila cylindriformis
 
 one at a time would be captured He is the head of the tiger family of beetles, and until 1878 many of the finest ento- collections could not secure a specimen. The prices had gone higher and higher up toG187S But the harvest reaped gy Professor Snow had such bullish effect on the market that Ann blychila were quoted as low as silver bullion. But Professor Snow refused to be stampeded He withheld his pro- duct temporarily from the market and beetles of the head tiger species jumped back to two dollars each and began to soar again. Others sought beetles In western Kansas, but had loss of time and money only for their pains. Wal lace county had either lost its beetle population or Professor Snow had cap- tured it entire.
 The collection of beetles at Kansas State university is famous the world over. Any species of beetle that Pro lessor Snow wanted he could get for his Wallace county find. Not only beetles put any other insect that the university needed other collectors were anxious to exchange.
 The remarkable find which resulted in he corner of the tiger beetle market vas not the result of a plunge in the lark Professor Snow and his compan- ons stopped in three or four western without getting on the track of | single Ambychila They spent three lays in unsuccessful effort in Wallace ounty, but on the evening of the fourth lay, just after dusk. Professor Snow houted: Here's one. boys!" There vas a hurried examination and consult ation. The search was continued and K of the species found. At that partic- lar place the professor and his students Iecided to camp. They began their l earch early the next morning and pros- cuted it With vigor throughout the day, ut could find no trace of the Ambly- | hila. But as dusk came on the beetle | vas once more located. A score or more were gathered the second day. For l hree months the party bottled beetles | n the twilight, for three or four days experience taught them that 1t was use- | ess for them to search at any other | our.
 Since that time numerous expeditions | ave been made to Wallace county, but | 10 further traces of the head of the ti- l ter beetle family have been found. | Professor Snow has designated the ex- | ct location where he reaped the great l st scientific and financial harvest of | lis life, but other entomologists have ought there for beetles in vain. This l ,articular species of beetle has no eyes 1 nd has to feel it's way feeding on in- 1 ects. There are in the United States | evenly species.
 Twenty-Five species of insects have | 'een named after Professor Snow, | many of them by the best-known ento- J nologists. The Cotocola snowwiana, a pecies of moth discovered in Kansas, | nd the largest new species ever found n the state, was found by Chancellor now, and is named for him. This spe- | ies was found before it was considered
 crime in Kansas to drink beer. Pro- | essor Snow was in the habit of turing | ies and moths into his net by offering | compound of sugar and beer and the