Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-04-12
A CORNER IN BEETLES.
II Paid the College Expenses of TWO,
Young students.


When legislators are stingy and 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
lie is the only living man who ever ran
corner on natural product and made it
holt good for a decade. 1t was in the
sprtag of 1878 that Professor Snow and
two conspirators who were students at
the time in his department went in
search Of tiger beetles known to cntomol-
ogists as Amblychla cylindriformis. At
this particular time specimens Of this
species OF beetle had a ready sale in the
open markets of the world at SO each.
There was clamorous demand from
Berlin and Heidelberg, Edinburgh, Paris,
London and New York which no one
could supply.
There was suspicion in the scientific
mind that this species of beetle ought to
be found in western Kansas. Professor
Snow made a contidant of two favorite
students. promised them oncthrd of all
the beetles they could catch. and the OK
petition set forth in the summer of 1873.
II was in Wallace county that the expo
dition finally landed. Hero it remained
three months. SO many beetles of the
rare species wcrc captured that the
young men sold their third interest in the
collection to Professor Snow for enough
money TO pay their way through college
for two years.
And at that the willy professor drove
the best bargain OF his life. With more
than a thousand beetles of a rare species,
which cntomologiSts all over the world
were clamorng for. in his possession
Al. D.. -,
to make good his payment to the stu
dents. pay all the expenses of the cxpc-
dtion and complete through an exchange
a collection of 5000 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 trir
has the Amblychila cylindriformis beer
found save in the rarcst cases, when one
at a time would be captured. He is the
head of the tiger family Of beetles, and
, until 1878 many of the finest cntomolog
ical collections could not secure n spcci
men. The prices had gone higher and
higher up to 1873. But the harvest reap
ed by Professor Snow had such bullist
effect on the market that amblychla
were quoted as low as silver bullion. Bu
Professor Snow refused TO be stampeded
He withheld his product temporarily
from the market. and beetles of the hcaC
tiger species jumped back to 81 each anc
began to soar again. Others sought bee
ties in western Kansas. but had a loss Of
time and money only for their paius
Wallace county had either lost its beetle
population or Professor Snow had cnp
turcd it entire.
The collection of beetles at Kansas
State university is famous the work.
over. Any species of beetle that Pro
fessor Snow wanted he could get for hi
Wallace county find; not only beetles
but any other insect that the uniyersit.
needed other collectors were anxious Il
exchange.
The remarkable find which resulted il
the corner on the tiger beetle market wa
not the result of n plunge in the dark
Prof. ssor Snow and his companions stop
ped in three or four western countie
without getting on the track of singl
amblychila. They spent three days II
unsuccessful effort in Wallace county
but on the evening OF the fourth day JUS
after dusk Professor Snow shouted
Here's one, boys" There were a hur
rlcu examination anu CONSULTATION. ! III
search was continued and six Of the spe
cies were found. At that particular plac
the professor and his students decided t
camp. They began their search early III
next morning and prosecuted il with Wig
or throughout the day. but could find n
trace Of the nmblychila. But as dus
came on the beetle was once more loca'
ed. A score or more were gathered tn
second day. For three months the part
bottled beetles in the twilight, for thrc
or four days experience taught them tina
il was useless for them to search Mt an
other hour.
Since that time numerous expedition
have been made TO Wallace county, bu
no further traces of the head of the tige
beetle family have been found. Profess
> or Snow has designated the exact loco
ton where he reapcd the greatest scief
titic and financial harvest of his life, bu
, other entomologists have sought thcr
for beetles in vain This particular sp,
cies Of beetle has no eyes and has to f.,
its way feeding on insects. There are
the United States 10 species.-Kanaa
City Star.