FIGHTING THE INSECTS 



o£ the stories that I expect to tell, one may perhaps gain a 

 slight idea o£ the effect of the coming-together of men of similar 

 aims but of different home surroundings and methods of 

 training. It is quite natural that the humorous incidents should 

 stick more closely to my memory. 



At Boston, the European countries were well represented. 

 Many of the most prominent zoologists in the world were there, 

 and many matters of interest to the students of animal life 

 were discussed. I went on from Washington and read the first 

 paper in the section of Economic Zoology. I recall with especial 

 pleasure that Vernon Kellogg, then of Stanford University, 

 came to me after I had finished my discourse, his eyes shining 

 with enthusiasm, and told me that my paper had made him 

 regret extremely that he had not gone into the economic side 

 of entomology, instead of interesting himself almost exclusively 

 in the study and teaching of other aspects. I don't think that 

 either of us at that time fully realized that the fundamental 

 studies in which he had been engaged were basically of great 

 importance from the point of view of applied science. 



During the Boston meeting, the president, Dr. Minot, gave 

 a dinner to twenty-five or thirty of us at the Saint Botolph 

 Club on Newbury Street. It was a characteristically international 

 dinner, and in welcoming us after the coffee Minot spoke in 

 English, in German, in French, and finally, I think, in Italian. 

 Admirable speeches were made by R. Blanchard of Paris and 

 Professor Hubrecht of Holland. And then Minot called upon 

 a well-known German professor. This was long before the 

 days of Prohibition, and the wine had been circulating freely. 

 When the German was called upon by name to say some- 

 thing, he did not rise, but said rather grumpily, "Wie \ann man 

 sprechen wenn es nichts zu trin\en gibst?" Minot blushed, 



[i88] 



