Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1902-01-30
DR.. sTREckER's BUTTERFLIES.
Finest Collection in the Country, Some
Specimens Worth $1,000 Each.

Specimens Worth $1,000 Each.
DR.. Herman Strecker, the sculptor
of monuments for cemeteries. who
died here the other day. had a col
lection Of butterflies and moths which
is said to be the finest in the United
States and one of the finest in the
world 1t represented the work of 30
years. To get it together he was in
correspondence with entomOlOglsts IN
every cline, and he received packages
from every postal route on the globe.
Central Africa. Greenland, Iceland,
Labrador. Samoa, New Zealand. North
Cape, the mouths of the Lena, Alaska,
the Philippines, Guam, Australia, the
holy land, the Nile country Ihibet
India, New Guinea, the Amazon
country, Patagonia, sent DR.. StreckeT
butterflies. 1t was a common thing
to see him go home on a street car
with box on his lap. Asked where
it was from he would answer "Hanzi-
bar" Straits of Magellan" The Heb
rides" or some other shore.
On week days he always appeared
in the dusty work suit of his marble
yard. He was busy upon statues or
headstOnes from morning until eve
ming. His breakfast was light; noon
luncheon fairly bountifuI, his 6
o'clock meal frugal but after toiling
among his butterflies from p. M,
until II o'clock or perhaps midnight.
he invariably partook of a hearty
meal. Then he would retire for the
night.
His butterfly collection is in the top
story of his residence on Mineral
| Spring road and the cabinets cover
| all the walls from floor to ceiling
There are 225,0O0 specimens, all
! mounted on cards and labelled IN
| glass-cOvered drawers. The labor
| needed to take care of them and keep
out vermin and other enemies was
great, yet to DR. Strecker it was a
| labor of love. Some time ago ne
wanted the city authorities to change
! the Castle-like county prison in City
| park to a museum. Had they done so
he would have presented his butter
was never adopted Levi Mengol,
who has collection Of $4,000 spec1-
mems of bugs, etc, will take care Of
DR.. Strecker's collection until other
arrangements are made. DR.. Strecker
was a well-built, White-Whiskered man
of 65 and had many strange ways.
He attended the Episcopal services on
| in hn 4
part Of the afternoon and night to his
flies.
One of the most difficult jobs of
printing ever submitted to an office
here was an index of the technical;
names of every butterfly and moth in
the world, which DR.. Strecker pre-
pared. Some of the printers got head
aches doing the work of spelling out
the almost unpronounceable vocabu-
larry.
Years ago he determined to print
an illustrated book of butterflies. He
| engraved the flies On stone, for he
was quite an artist, sent the plate 20
New York, had 300 copies printed, and
then had the stone returned, when he
engraved a new series of illustrations
on the same stone. Then he returned
it to the printer In this way the
plate made many trips before the
work was ready to be bound. The
edition consisted of 100 copies and
all were sold
DR.. Strecker's collection was begun
here shortly after he left Philadelphia
where he was born. He published
| several books on the study &c his life
He would frequently say: Eyes, it
seems to be folly, but I'm in it now
and can't well get out of it. When ?
collection is the delight Of a mans
life his whole heart is in it, and there
you are. While l have spent a greaf
deal of money in collecting my moths
and flies, l am glad to know that !
have neglected nothing.
1--WE are all comfortable, and when
! | die some one may come along to
take up the work where | leave off
and keep on adding to the collection
from the isles of the South Pacific
and other lands that have not yet
contributed to any collection"
Dr. Strecker's collection contains
some flies valued at $1,000 each
| They are perfect Some tattered flies