THE STORY OF AN ENTOMOLOGIST 



delegates and showed them to their reserved seats at this 

 function, and I recall that no less a person than Kiinckel d'Her- 

 culais did this for me. This leads me to a story. Many years 

 earlier, this famous French scientist had charge of certain 

 governmental investigations of locust outbreaks in Algeria. 

 Suddenly one day the press dispatches in the newspapers fairly 

 shrieked with a dramatic account of his death. It was stated 

 that he had been overwhelmed by a cloud of locusts, and that 

 the voracious creatures had completely devoured him, leaving 

 only a part of a red necktie, by which his fate was realized. 

 This announcement caused a great sensation, and scientific 

 associations all over the world passed resolutions of regret. 

 Biographical notices were printed in many languages. I recall 

 that this was done at Washington, and that a speech commemo- 

 rative of the supposed deceased was made by C. V. Riley, who 

 had known him well. 



It turned out, however, that the notices in the newspapers 

 had been simply an instance of mendacious and sensational 

 journalism. Many years later, at a dinner that the late Alfred 

 Giard gave me, Kiinckel d'Herculais was present. After the 

 coffee was served, Giard in his delightful way said, "Kiinckel, 

 tell us about the time you were eaten up by locusts." The latter 

 grinned and said, "While I am sorry on some counts that I 

 can't tell you that, I can tell you of my great joy in reading, 

 after I returned to Paris, the extremely laudatory sketches of 

 my life." 



At the Boston meeting the year before, it was decided to 

 hold the next Zoological Congress at Gratz. Professor von Graff 

 of that city, who was present at Boston, had been made Presi- 

 dent. Now, in Paris, at the Lamarck fete, there was a formal 

 luncheon that was largely attended by prominent Frenchmen 



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