The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-01-10

- XIX ticle concerning the
~ trip for the state
I4S7,ss9, Journal:
]. &. ]" !. =. ]
srsaxsSFi Bug hunting" as
- "a h collection of
s.,1gex ~ h. specimens in nat
~ &%rI sA55# ural history IS fire.
X5$kz7H L<AJHlIhl cuently called. is
FTy4IA /#I~4 the most enjoyable
WA y Of all 4adS. and q
Y M trip ov erl a n
\~NJ thro u g h western
Kansas to h e
, u MEAD Rocky Mountains IS
the realization of its perfection. On
such a trip the collector will discover.
not only his special objects Of pursuit
but many others of which the ordinary
tourist gets not even hint. As an in
stance. he Will become acquainted with
those typical Americans, the cowboys.
and learn to appreciate them The writer
has Travelled thousands Of miles among
them and has invariably found them
kind hearted and generous. They viii
go out of their way to show a stranger
the road and VIII warn him of quick
sands in the fords and of alkali in the
springs. Not unfreGuently he will find
them well informed in his own line, and
they are always ready to render assist
ance- To sum I'D. on such a trip one
can learn western Kansas. and in no
other way can this be done
Last year Prof Shirk, Of Mcpherson
college. naineralogists Claude Shirk,
principal of the Inman city schools. bot
anist: Mr.. Horton. medical student ana
biologist, and s G. Mead, the writer.
organized a trip to the mountains. leav-
ing Mcpherson June g. They followed
the railroad lines to Pueblo and Canon
City, then drove across the mountains to
Colorado Springs, up the Ute pass and
west to FIorissaut. across to Crystal
Peak, then to Denver and so home De-
tails of the collections would be Weari-
some. The finds included some rare
fossils. especially fine specimens OF
sharks teeth IA western Kansas. fossil
leaves and insects in the petriied forest
al FiCrisEant. valuable crystals, min
erals. Alpine flowers, rare insects. and
the eOTnuIOner varieties in prOfusiOn-
The peculiar phases Of insect life were
especially interesting In this line Kan
sas is especially attractive to the stud
ent of natural history. The Great Amer
lean desert. 50 long supposed to be bar
rem, has become a rich field for scianti-
fic research It's fame is world wide
and no cabinet Is considered complete
without the specimens It furnishes.
Each of the geologic fields OF the state
has its own peculiar fora and hence its
own insect life. in addition to the num-
erous varieties which are cosmopolitan
of which the common house fly may be
taken as a type.
Furthermore. four great fields of in
sect life lap and blend in Kansas They
are the northern, including Nebraska
and the Dakotas, the Mississippi valley.
the southwestern. or Arizona and New
Mexico, and the Rocky Mountain Diff
ferences in the altitude changes in the
bring to the bug hunter entirely diff
ferent finds. so that a collecting expe-
dition is seldom barren Of results,
though what those results may h. il Is
impossible to 2redict- An hours rice
will often change entirely the character
/ of the collections.
But while insect life in Kansas is thus
varied and abundant many of the pests
.-sA
found in very limited numbers. Espec-
tally is this true Of insects which sting Oh
I bite The savage gnat and the blood
/ thirsty black fly of the eastern and
/ northern forests are not found here, the
little "no-see-um." so small that nc
+ screen can keep it out, but which will
drive 4 man crazy, never visits Kansas
Many varieties of the tOrmenting lace
wing are never seen here and the mos
I quitoes are few and small in comparison
with the Long Island gallinippers and
+ the New Jersey breeds which render life
} a burden on the eastern coast Wasps
are few. humble bees are rare. and thS
vicious and dreaded hornet is seldom
or never found It was further noticed
on the western trip that the nocturna
insects became less numerous as the al
titude increased. This was owing to tht
fact that the nights were cooler, too coo
for insects to fly
The common farm and garden pests
are not seriously destructive. The
Rocky mountain grasshopper. once a
dreaded scourge, Nhas entirely disap-
peared and IS now only a nemory
| among the oldest Inhabitants. The red
I leg. a native kansan, is sometimes mis-
taken for it, but this grasshopper is
neither abundant nor destructive
( While numerous in the eastern apr
of the state. the western Kansas but
ter1y has a hard time of it. The cir
cufation in his wings ceases shortly af-
ter they are expanded and they al
once become dry and brittle. AS gus
after gust tumbles him along over tbs
prairie he gets tattered and torn and a
the end of the very first day is otter
a shabby looking creature Large but.
textiles are rare in these windy regions
The beetles. with their hard wing cases
are better protected. The most attrac.
tive of these are the tiger beetles. Gen
orally brilliantly cOlored. active and
fierce. living on other insects, they arr
favorites with collectors. The othel
beetles however. are of equal scientific
interest. The tiger beetle hunts it!
prey on land. the water beetle captures
its food in its own element both take
it alive The scavenger beetles Whicf
are abundant. live upon dead food
They bury small dead animals whicl
they find, pellets of manure. etc. II
which they la their eggs. Doubles.
they have played no little part. in ths
ages which have elapsed since the bot
tom of the ancient sea became dry
land. in rendering the soil fit TO sup
port vegetation.
All these are abundant in Kansas
they are strong flyers and many varie-
ties may be collected near the electric
lights, dazzled by the glare.
Nor must the ornnipresent ant bt
passed over. On the western plains i
is abundant It is q savage crea tur1
and fights ali others. Where it /:
very numerous the question IS not tbs
survival of the fittest but of tins
toughest for the insect which canno
whip an ant has no chance for its life
IN such places the collector viii FIND
only the coarsest and strongest insects
and strange to say a minute parasitic