The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-03
AN ODD OCCUPATION
English Girl Catches Butterflies and
Beetles in California.
HER CELLAR A BEETLE NURSERY
She Found an Insect That a French
Scholar Had Travelled
Miles to See.

Mary Yeomans. an English girl who settled
with two brothers in California, has developed
profitable industry in catching butterflies.
She had some knowledge of butterflies when
she went there One day flock Of yellow
pansy-like butterflies lowered moment over
her and then flew to patch of yellow honey
suckle. She followed the butterflies up the
steep mountain side. She thought she recog-
nized them as a species known only in the
higher Alps, and very rare and valuable.
When at last I did get one in my hands I
was sure it was the very kind she said in
telling about her new business. Il 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 morning. I pinned one out care
fully and sketched it in water color. 1 had
to be saving of my postage, so I sent the
sketch instead Of box of butterflies home to
England. Such a long wait as it 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
$25 each, and as there were twenty-three Of
them, I had the tidy little sum of $575. all
my own, and the first money I ever earned in
my life. That was my beginning, and I was
always on the lookout for butterflies. With
my money I bought ten fancy sheep"
Miss Yeomans' cellar is not for eatables,
but is her nursery for beetles. What appears
to be unsplit stove wood lies in rows on the
floor. Each piece has been split but tied to-
gether again. and in each piece are different
species of beetles.r They eat the wood, making
their way out and lay their eggs in the wood.
81 keep watch, and when beetle gets to
the surface l put it back she said 1.-The
most valuable one? 1t all depends upon the
demand. A beetle is worth just what l can
get for it. DR.. LIE Fontaln. who came out
from France to study the insects of Califor-
MIA, came to our house by chance. He did
not tell US who he was, merely that he was a
stranger passing through the country, but
when l CHANGED to see him before dawn
creeping with candle in his hand under the
He was in raptures over a beauty he had
found, and when told him about my butter
flies and showed him what I had, he forgot
his English and rhapsodized in French He
taught me- a. great deal about beetles and
| told me of a certain one he was most eager
| to find in California. He believed it was
! here, though he could not find it, 1t haG
| been found only in Italy, and had almos
disappeared. All! you had better not look a
| it; you will be disappointed. D.
She poked about in box of tWigs an6
| produced what seemed a most ordinary little
black bug with long, slender legs, and ther
| she placed beside it a little round red one
| no larger than pin head.
THE tiny one is the one which DR.. LIE Fon
| tain travelled miles and miles to find ant
could not--I found 1t. The other is the beau
| ty he caught under the pine threes. Yol