Page 7
University Insect Collection Is One of Largest in Nation
By JERR KNUDSON
A young professor's interest in insects in 1870, when the University was still a squawling infant, has created today the largest university insect collection in the country—the Francis Huntington Snow entomological museum.
Raymond Beamer, professor of entomology and curator of the museum, said that it is difficult to even estimate the size of the collection today.
"We don't try to keep any record of the number of specimens," he said. "If we did, a card file would soon run us out of the building."
But considering the number of mounting pins purchased, it is known that between 25,000 and 50,000 specimens have been added each of them. Dr. Beamer said. This would place the at almost 2 million insects.
They range from a giant tarantula, measuring about 4 by 6 inches, to microscopic mites — from brilliant butterflies to drab colorless moths.
"The specimens are largely from America north of Mexico, Dr. Beaufort, who says these are unique insects from South America and other parts of the world."
"A collection is valued by the number of species it contains and the number represented by types," Dr. Beamer said. A type is the actual specimen which was the first of its kind described and named by a scientist, he explained. At present the collection includes 4,628 priceless type species.
Most of the insects are mounted in some 2,000 glass-covered trays that fill five rows of steel cabinets in the large room in Snow hall where the museum is housed.
They are preserved this way for protection from light and damage from dermestids (carpet beetles) Dr. Beamer said. The trays are double-lined and the space is filled with mothball flakes.
The most complete collections of the museum include the leaf-hopper and bee families, Dr. Beamer said. The beetle and fly sections are extensive also, he explained.
The museum, a vast storehouse of entomological information, is often consulted by scientists across the country.
For example, a field entomologist in California recently has sent the museum numerous specimens of the grape leaf hopper, an insect that is causing thousands of dollars worth of damage to the grape industry of that state. Dr. Beamer said.
The entomologist has noticed
varying resistance to DDT of the hoppers and wants to know if more than one species is represented in the specimens. By comparison with museum specimens and use of information which Dr. Beamer has collected and filed, the query will be answered.
The biggest single boost followed the "find" in 1887 of 1,170 rare tiger beetles in western Kansas which were then worth about $50 apiece to entomologists. These, Dr. Snow's "gold mine" were advantageously traded with other collectors.
How has such a huge collection been amassed? Dr. Snow started the nucleus collection with 500 specimens gathered in 1870—and it has grown since with additions from annual field trips, donations, purchases, and exchanges.
Dr. Beamer has headed summer field trips for the past 20 years, except for the war years, to places ranging from the Olefenoke swamp of Georgia to the shadow of Mount Hood in Oregon.
Interest lagged in the collection after Dr. Snow's death in 1911 until Dr. Beamer joined the entomology staff several years later.
Specimens collected are finally mounted on pins in the trays, Dr. Beamer said. Before the entomologist is able to work with a dried insect, it must be placed in a "relaxing jar" of water and carbolic acid overnight, he added.
When the insect is mounted, printed labels are attached which tell where and when the insect was found, name of the collector, and identification of the specimen.
A Distinguished Author Writes About THE SUNFLOWER STATE
"THIS $3.75
PLACE CALLED by KANSAS" Chas. C. Howes
THE BOOK NOOK
1021 Mass. Phone 666
University Daily Kansan
Oil Drilling Tools To Be Displayed
A mobile exhibit of oil drilling tools and associated equipment will be on the campus Monday and Tuesday.
The exhibit, sponsored by the Baker Oil Tools company, is constructed inside a converted Greyhound bus. Exhibit and bus are valued at $70,000.
The exhibit features full scale models of various equipment manufactured by Baker, together with a complete display of oil well squeeze cementing and production packer equipment.
This exhibit has been on the road for 22 months. It has toured the entire states of Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Oklahoma, part of Old Mexico, and it has toured half of the state of Kansas.
The bus and its equipment will be on display on the west side of Marvin hall. Anyone interested in the exhibit is invited to visit the unit.
—SINK THE SOONERS—
Friday, Oct. 17, 1952
Sweden Assails Russia For Arbitration Refusal
United Nations, N.Y.—(U.R.)—Sweden denounced Russia today for refusing to arbitrate the dispute over shooting down swedish planes over the Baltic sea.
1834 Mass.
"Such refusal," he said, "is in fact tantamount to a recognition that the statements of the party in question cannot gain credence with others than those who have no access to the facts and evidence presented by the other power."
Swedish Foreign Minister Oesten Unden told the United Nations General Assembly that the Kremlin flatly refused to submit to a hearing before the International Court of Justice on the downing of two Swedish planes which Stockholm contends were fired on by Soviet aircraft.
"In June this year, two Swedish military aircraft were shot down when flying over international waters in the Baltic. Both aircraft
The Swedish foreign minister gave this recapitulation of the air incidents:
were unarmed.
"The first event occurred on June 13. We know nothing of the circumstances when this aircraft was shot down. The entire crew—eight men—lost their lives.
"A second aircraft was shot down by Russian military aircraft on June 16 while searching for survivors from among the crew of the first aircraft. In the second case, the crew was rescued, and we have exact details of the circumstances when the aircraft was being shot upon."
AWS Jobs Open
All women interested in working on the Associated Women Students office staff are asked to attend the meeting at 4 p.m. Monday in the AWS lounge.
-SINK THE SOONERS—
Do you have to make eyes
to make A's?
We could flutter our lids till our eyeballs ached and it wouldn't help. Our Prof is strictly business. He's the public.
Every 6 months Bell Telephone Companies ask the public for their grades. It's done by opinion surveys. We ask thousands of customers to tell us what they think of our service. On the basis of their reports we try to improve where they think we could be doing better. Subsequent surveys show us if we've been successful.
This search for better ways of serving
people is only one aspect of the Bell System business philosophy. It underlies our constant search for ways to provide everbetter telephone service at the lowest possible cost.
For qualified college people interested in engineering, operations and administration, we offer many opportunities. We believe you'll be interested to learn what we mean.
Your college placement office will be glad to give you more details.
Bell Telephone System