Evening star., 1914-07-26

the Thecla Cypria. would lead them into
almost impenetrable jungies, where the
threat of poison snake was ever present.
or the Pteronymia species would lure
them to the very craters of active vol
canoes, such as Poas. in Costa Rica. or
Cape de Perrote. near Orizaba, Mexico.
And this in part. is the price these
two men paid so that DR.. Schaus might
perfect his collection and add a few
thousand hitherto unknown forms OF but
terfiy life to scientific knowledge-
Although Or. Schaus is an American
from the ground up. he received much or
his early education in continental cap
itals and as n hoy in Paris became IN
terestei in entomology. While yet
tropics in search Of new species of lepi-
doptera-
1T was not so much the study of but.
terfy life which lured me to the tropics"
declared Dr. Schaus in describing his ex-
periences. 'as II was desire to study
at first hand. in the Jungies. the Dar-
winian theory of natural selection, or
protection by mimicry. l went into the
Jungies a firm believer In that theory
/ have come from them after thirty
years experience in them. rejecting that
theory. well the theory of the sur
vival of the fttest.
1T is not always the fttest which sur
wives: sometimes there is a remarkable
element of chance i'm the whole proceed
ing and as to protective coloration In IN
sects. l think the truth comes nearer be-
ing that some insects have offensive col
oration. which permits them to creep
upon their prey unnoticed-
NY first trip to the tropics took me
to Mexico in 1851. remained there Tor
FIVE years but aside from collecting the
forms OF lepidoptera already known 10
exist there l made little progress. There
were in Mexico then, no electric hghts.
and that is the greatest lure to moths
that we know. 1t is peculiar now sehsi-
tive the tropical moth is to certain ra!
of light You may find hundreds OIL
them around one arc light. while there
will be none about the light stanoihs
but a few feet away.
I'm 1889 returned to the tropics, TINS
time to Brazil. making the then unusual unusual
trip through the dense forests wnic.
stretch back of Rio to San Paulo, ana ~
was there that had my real Introduction
to tropical fevers. 1t was our old frteha
Yellow Jack that time
Repeated short trips followed tins one
"a year in Jamaica and another In Cuoa
just after the Spanish American war and
before the occupation ceased IL was
about that time that Mr.. Barnes Joined
me, and after covering all OF the smaller
West Indies went to the Guianas-
Dr. Schaus is modest to the point OF
reticence upon his adventures. but he ad-
mits that the trip into British Guiana
was perhaps the most perilous one wncn
rush was on in British Guiana and had
attracted all the wild outlaw souls OF
that part of the world
For two weeks they pushed up the
Marrone river in small steamers. he and
Mr.. Barnes travelling upon bills OF lading
as barrels" ma ssengers before that Tune
being pretty well unknown. ana then AT
the rapids which opposed them tney TOOK
to canoes and continued up the shauo"
.Bandits?" asked DIR. Schaus when In
terrogated as to whether he had run
foul of any of that breed in Mexico
"Yes-and no. 1t was this way: Mr.
Barnes and 1 were on our way to Jalapa
with one Indian servant when we heard
that bandits were infesting the old MeN.
leo City roadway. over which we InusI
pass So Barnes. with his rifle, and
rode ahead. the Indian servant armed
with a shotgun. making a rear guard Tor
us. All that day We passed throuen
bowlder-strewn pine forests-,nst u.s. .ne e.nd S,ad
to choose for an ambush. but nothing
happened, until late that night we
reached Las Vegas There we found that
the town had been pillaged. as weH as
several outlying villages.
when We started again the next MORN
ing We found that thirty OF the na.ives
had adopted US. for they said the BAN
dts would not attack white men who
would defend themselves. incidentally
the natives would not believe our state
ment that we were Americans. because
they said that we were gentlemen, ana
that Americans could not fall under THAI
classification.
X
''It was in Mexico on this occasion that
we experienced what: was perhaps our
strangest meal We were on our way to
the volcano OF Cape de Perrote. near
Orizaba in quest OF ths Pteronymia spe-
cies. when we fell short of provisions
Our native guide. however, told US OF
some beetle larvae which were edible
and. digging great numbers of them ou'
Of fallen pine logs. we found them Of q
flavor much better than sardines."
From Mexico. working with net and
preserving cases through Guatemala and
Salvador. the chronological adventurert
finally came to that paradise of the but.
terfy seeker-Costa Rica. But. in ratio
with the reward, the dangers kept pace
and it was here that after daring all the
minor seismic disturbances and taking
scores OF butterflies around the very
crater rim of belching Poas volcano. they
managed to leave the country only q