The Hawaiian gazette., 1903-05-12
KOEBELE IS
HOME AGAIN
Brings a Fine Bug
Collection
2 Along.
(From Saturdays Daily.)

Professor Albert Koebele, govern
ment entomologist returned yesterday
on the Alameda from his lantana-e -ex-
terminator hunt in Mexico Professor
koebele sent the living trophies of ms
seven months search on ahead al
though he brought several hundred
mounted varieties of the same species
of bugs which have been let loose by
Professor Perkins in the lantana wilds
of Hawaii. In fact he brought many
more kinds of mounted lantana and
other pest exterminators, than could be
used here. for many of his choicest
specimens died en- route.
Professor Koebele's expedition was
more than successful-though he
doesn't talk much about it himself.
The professor Is of rather retiring
disposition, and said he preferred not
to talk to an Advertiser reporter yes
terday. The Alameda only docked
little before noon, but at one o'clock
Mr.. Koebele was in his office display
ing the results of his trip to Professor
Perkins, who will now be relieved OF
his duties. Mr.. Perkins has been act
ing for both the Commissioner of Agri-
culture and the government entomolo-
gist, and that without remuneration,
so no one was more pleased than he
to see Professor Koebele, to whom he
Immediately surrendered his duties.
Both Professors Perkins and Koebele
spent the afternoon in the Nuuanu
Valley bug house and Koebele was
much pleased with the condition in
which he found the living specimens
so laboriously collected by him.
During his absence of thirteen
months Professor Koebele spent over
seven months in the lantana covered
hills and canyons of Mexico. He
travelled thousands Of miles during
that time. always on foot. and always
alone. Besides bringing back valu-
able collection of mounted insects for
the Territory, he also sent valuable
specimens to the Department at Wash
ngton. And this does not take into
account the work he has actually done
for the islands. He sent back not only
numerous blights to prey upon the Ian
tana, but also parasites for the cut
worm and for scale diseases. Now that
he has returned he will give all his
time to making his remedies effective.
Let me see-I have been gone just
said Professor Koebele. II spent about
seven months in Mexico, from May to
November think. What part of Mex
leo? Mostly in Vera Cruz, Morellos
and Guerrero. The city of. Mexico was
my headquarters and I worked out
from there. No, I travelled all alone.
On horseback. No-always on foot.
Always had to wear rubbers too. so
slippery you know. Then the hill
sides were steep, and the canyons some
of them perpendicular for five hundred
feet. And 1t was fearfully slippery and
the lantana was hard to work through.
Right at the start l lost all of my in
struments-and so was handicapped,
but l got new set in the City of Mex
leo. / worked through the whole coun-
try, always from some city where /
could get my supplies. I always went
back to the cities to breed the para
sites I got, and also to ship them to
Honolulu. I did not bring any living
specimens with me, all We're shipped
ahead, but have some mounted spec
linens here
Professor Koebele brought back five
large cases of mounted specimens con-
tanning several hundred varieties, some
OF them small and hardly recognizable,
others as large as a dragon fly but
beautifully colored. Mr.. Koebele had
them all classified, with scientific
names of from three to dozen sylla-
bles. The collection brought back is
said to be one of the most complete
ever made in Mexico for that country
has not often been given such an in
vestigation as that undertaken and
carried through by Professor Koebele.
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