The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-05-09
-In- Nero York
By PAUL HARRIsO,:

New York.-one of the lesser known racing promoters around town is MT Arnold Phillips, a young man SO weIi-spoken and tastefully clad that you'd never associate him with the business. And as mat fer of fact, MT Phillips knows nractically nothing about paddock or track. He races cockroaches. Actually. And he's doing so well at 1t that he has been called to Chicago to set up big cock roach-racing concession for the worlds fair, together with a sta ble of his feetest runners. MT Phillips is, he says, a writer by profession. and has travelled lot. Gle still has sort of con tinental accent). Anyway, he dis covered that in several European
 cities, especially Paris, many peo-
 pie amused themselves by betting on cockroach races. After spend ing $50 francs on an indolent in sect named Francois, which always lay down for a map about an inch from the finish line, MT Phillips decided that this was a novel and uncertain enough sport to appeal to Amercians.
  Good Breeding Wins!
 Back in this country he consult ed entomologists, and on their ad- vice ordered several specimens of the giant field roach (Periplaneta americana) common in some parts of the south. T found the big fel- lows sturdy but most lackadais- ical," Phillips explained. "They weren't imbued with any competi- tive spirit.
 "On the other hand, the com mon roach of the north is fleet and willing runner. But because of millions of generations of be- ing chased, he always tries to take
 a zig-zag course. So I cross s-bred the latter, called Sylopyga orien- tails, with the field variety. The result was a high-spirited speci- men, narrow bodied and with long,
 powerful hind legs especially adaptable for taking hurdles in steeplechases. And these insects
 also ran in straight line.
 After that, though. had to find
 some way to make them run. Nov ices will flee from noise, but they
 soon get used to it. For few days,
 too, they'll run from spotlight;
 then they overcome their shyness
 and, instead of running. will rise up and take sort of bow.
 "Only one thing will keep them going, and that's the feeling of be-
 ing pursued. So I finally perfect
 ed, and now have patented, spe-
 cia1 cockroach race course. At one
 end are ten glass tubes. each con-
 taining an insect and. behind it, a yv1o O v.h10 AT fhA cfo rft ciUno1 tho tubes are tilted at a slight eleva- ton, the marbles roll, and the
 reaches run. The marbles stop
 after few inches, but the racers
 continue along the separate grooves of an eight-foot track,
 heading for dark holes at the op-
 posite end. The first insect to
 hide himself wins"
 Mendel Was Right
 MT Phillips racing stable is in about it's hundredth generation
 now, and thet rack record has been lowered regularly until it now is 4
 seconds flat. "I think this proves
 the doctrine of Mendelism." said the sportsman scholar. "-that se- lective breeding will vary determ-
 inately the phenomenon of inherit ance."
 For some months now, he has been taking his patented board around to private parties. The first public exhibition was held, appropriately enough, at the vil- 1age Grove Nut club. The racers were named for the occasion after New York celebrities And one.
 of course, ran under the colors of Don Marquis. literary agent for the celebrated cockroach named Archie.