The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-01-12
nTHEBUYTERFLYM AN"T DEAD
DIR. STRECKER HAD THE FINEST
COLLECTION IN AMERICA.

WEHET OIL E1ltDtuotV8y Wv " -
Arc Priled the World Over -Somc Of
the Wonders Of His Collection and
the Pains He Took to Secure Them.
The long life OF a man who was remarka-
bic for his scientific work by night and his
chiselina Of stone by day was ended only
a few weeks ago In Reading. Pa, and the
occurrence might have gone unhoralded
but for the fact that n OF those who re-
vered him not less a. q friend thai as q
genius wrote TO THE Q he other day.
-hs man who died was Herman Strecker.
naturalist, and he In believed to have had
the largest and best collection OF butter
fies and moths on the American continent.
Strecker was by no means a mediocre
sculptor: he was n OF the best in the
State Of Pennsylvania. but IL was because
OF his scientific pursuits that he gained
4 worldwide acquaintance and recognition
among the quiet students Of entomology.
This collection Of Strecker's cost him
szS.o 900. IL includes butterflies and moths
from every quarter Of the globe-as one OF
his friends put Il specimens whose haunts
In LIE are in every portion OF the globe.
not excepting the regions close 70 the poles
the heart OF the forests Of Africa, India.
Australia, South America and the smaller
islands OF the Indian and Pacific oceans.
For some Of these he rave as much as $50
each, and his cabinets contain many which
are unique as specimens. To get them he
had friendly agents all yer the world.
Herman Strecker-he was DR.. Strccker
to everybody who knew him, and rightly.
because Franklin and Marshall College
savo him a well earned Pm. D.-was born
Ia Philadelphia In 1895. His father, Ferdi-
nand II. Streoker. was a sculptor from
Vienna and for many years foreman OF
6trthers's marble works In Philadelphia.
His mothers maiden name was Anna Kern.
whose brothers, Benjamin. Richard and
Edward were all naturalists. Thus from
ono side he had q liking and genius for
art and from the other q bent toward
natural history. Some Of his sculpture.
q has relief In marble Of Poe's Raven. owned
BY Joseph Drexel Of this city. will bear
witness to his art, and his collections and
writings on butterflies and moths to the
work no did In natural history. Some copies
Of his books now bring almost fabulous
priees.
Whom he was II years old Streoker moves
30 Reading. As a boy no had to work
ten hours a day at marble cutting. but he
found time on his holidays and at night
TO collect and mount specimens, He hal
been forced TO leave school when very
young. but he kept on studying, and IL was
while still bound TO his work at the marble
yard hat he resolved to publish a book on
butterflies There Is something pathetic
In the way he did IL, BY dint Of hard work
and harder saving he got together noIgh
was necessary 20 the making Of the book.
as the work was to he illustrated with col
ored plates. On this stone he engraved
o group Of butterflies for the first plate of
the book. Then he spent his last dollar
In having 800 plates printed from the stone.
Thcy were Finished about the time he had
saved enough money to print tho next
plate, and when the stone was returned
10 him he scrsped his first impressions
from II ard wrought upon it another group
until the book was printed. As soon as Tho
book came out there wa a demand for 10
which ate up the 300 copies in a hurry n
called for more. But. Of course, the author
had no plates With which TO issue another
edition, Copies Of The work are con-
sidered treasures by naturaiists nowadays.
Then Streoker resolved 10 get out a work
OF much larger scope, one which gave as
nearly complete a list as possible Of Amer-
can butterflies and moths. lists o. all the
OOOkr VI WHICH tutN Ntft UltDilDnrNl AM
Q FUND OF other information. DR.. strecker
had a library OF his own by that time. but
n didn't have by any means all the books
he needed. He got AZ the books by going
after them. Every Saturday night when
he was through his work at the marble
yard Do took a train for Philadelphia or
New ~York-usually this city-and went 10
work In some library. where hts silvered
beard and kind and gentle eyos and voice
bad made him q welcome visitor. When
be completed his reading In this country
their were still two books which he hndnt
read and which were 70 b. had only at great
trouble and expense across tho ocean.
He sent for them, where a moro ambitious
but lese careful man would have dispensed
With them.
The work 90 which Or. strecksr thus
spent % much time and research was
butterflies and Moths 81 North America :
be was slso the author OF 'lopidoptera,
hhopsloceres mo H~sterOcere-, Indigo
bous and Exotic . Bosides tslng a writer
of great clesrnnss hs was a most interest.
ing oonversstionslist ana IN a recent issue
81 the Pennsylvania bohOd JOsTnai a con
tnbutor Who name " know DT htTecker
~hdle be was working on a noblo lon-tgn
aoss fof tho grave of DR. i4naihAh D..
Hlghss, the penhsylysnis educator re-
porte q n Conversation he had with the soilp-
TOT -sAtufalist. DR. huecknf was showing
this friend has ooilsCtiol paused over
ons lArEe spedman, saying;
These are bat hfos ~ thoEs IA tho rata.
p~ts 81 tho world Qua " them lAs . sing
bsuksn Add they sns al males
Ls thk u.s Duttany you dfoam~t Aiout
q slAoh De nxl~o ~-s telling a.s'' a@hod
he fnsni
No sHl.sd sAd Asksd. Wa no telling
rol VI ~
I@ .sd want a. hssf you toll tao
tiofg Hrla hurs sigd HoN n 700 NM. iuf
I've t.sh intsnsiy uasf @tai la -
Vel b. said J AAi t=sn WonHif ats
ona ElEhf, studying us siualaru sab
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