Easton, Emmett R.

Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society

ScholarSpace at University of Hawai'i at Manoa

Exploits of somE Hawaiian Entomological sociEty Entomologists 153Proc. Hawaiian Entomol. Soc. (2007) 39:153–156Exploits of Some Famous Entomologists of the Hawaiian Entomological SocietyEmmett R. Easton Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, University of Hawaii at Manoa,3050 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI 96822	 Many	influential	entomologists	have	been	members	of	the	Hawaiian	Entomological	So-ciety,	and	of	these,	many	experienced	remarkable	adventures	as	exploration	entomologists	in	many	parts	of	the	world.	This	paper	briefly	details	a	few	somewhat	amusing	adventures	of	some	of	the	famous	entomologists	of	the	society	in	the	early	years.	 Among	the	reports	of	the	Hawaiian	Sugar	Planters’	Experiment	Station,	there	lies	more	romantic	adventure	than	in	a	pirate’s	autobiography.	For	instance,	there	is	the	wonderful	story	of	Frederick	A.G.	Muir,	Assistant	Entomologist	of	the	Station	(Fig.	1).	He	was,	at	the	time,	a	Fellow	of	the	Royal	Entomological	Society	of	London	who	would	later	be	awarded	an	honorary	Ph.D.	from	the	University	of	Hawaii.	He	was	sent	out	to	discover	a	parasite	or	parasitoid	for	the	sugarcane	borer	[Rhabdocelus obscurus	(Boisduval)],	a	weevil	which	tunnels	into	sugarcane	stalks.	Very	little	was	known	about	this	particular	insect	at	the	time,	so	Muir	had	to	do	what	traveling	naturalists	did	in	those	early	days	of	the	late	19th	century.	He	had	to	search	in	places	he	knew	sugarcane	was	grown	and	ask	advice	from	knowledge-able	persons.	This	included	travel	to	places	like	China,	Indonesia,	Papua	New	Guinea	and	Australia.	He	set	out	for	China	in	the	summer	of	1906,	first	going	to	Hong	Kong	and	then	to	Macao,	to	meet	a	man	who	would	later	help	him	succeed	with	the	project.	 John	C.	Kershaw	had	been	living	in	China	for	several	years	and	had	written	an	excellent	book	on	the	butterflies	of	Hong	Kong	and	Macao.	They	traveled	together	up	the	Pearl	River	from	Macao	to	Guangzhou	(then	Canton)	then	west	to	a	forested	area	known	as	How-lik	(now	known	as	the	Dinghushan	Biosphere	Forest	Reserve)	in	Guangdong	Province.	There,	monks	lived	in	a	Buddhist	monastery	and	protected	the	forest	and	wildlife	from	wood-cut-ters	(Muir,	1907).	They	failed	to	find	the	weevil	or	its	parasite	here,	so	Muir	had	to	wander	thousands	of	miles	 in	what	was	then	the	Dutch	East	Indies	 in	the	most	 lawless	corners	of	the	Far	East.	He	was	in	continual	danger	of	wild	beasts,	savage	natives	and	poisonous	snakes,	venturing	where	other	men	had	not	dared	to	go.	Usually	he	had	the	help	of	only	a	local	guide	who	was	not	particularly	trained	in	entomology.	He	was	laid	low	with	fever,	shot	at…all	to	find	an	insect	about	the	size	of	the	common	house	fly,	a	tachinid	fly	by	the	name	Lixophaga spenophori	(Villeneuve).	Muir	also	traveled	through	the	Lo-fou	mountains	in	Guangdong	Province	in	a	region	reported	to	be	fanatically	hostile	toward	foreigners.	Muir	pretended	to	be	a	medical	doctor	searching	for	medicinal	herbs,	and	was	treated	with	the	greatest	respect.	 In	January	of	1907,	having	failed	to	find	a	parasite	or	the	weevil,	Muir	sailed	south,	con-tinuing	in	vain	his	search	through	the	Malay	states,	and	wandering	in	the	wild	spots	of	Java	and	Borneo	until	the	autumn.	Thence	he	proceeded	to	the	Moluccas	(Indonesia)	working	in	small,	native	cane	fields,	sometimes	knee-deep	in	pestilential	mud,	tormented	by	mosquitoes,	sleeping	in	foul,	native	huts	and	often	wet	for	days	on	end	because	of	torrential	rains.	Then,	quite	unexpectedly,	he	found	a	borer-beetle,	not	in	sugar	cane	but	in	sago-palm.	The	beetle	resembled	the	Hawaiian	cane	borer	and	had	a	parasite.	So	in	September	1908,	Muir	started	for	Honolulu	by	way	of	Hong	Kong	with	a	great	number	of	parasites	and	borers.	Reaching	Hong	Kong,	he	found	that	all	of	his	insects	had	died.	So	in	the	fall	of	1908,	he	returned	to	search	for	the	authentic	cane	borer.	Unsuccessful	once	more,	he	moved	on	to	Papua	New	154 Easton Guinea,	and	in	the	spring	of	the	following	year,	his	search	was	rewarded	(Muir,	1910).		 Full	of	hope,	he	started	home	with	a	number	of	cages	of	growing	cane	containing	beetles	and	parasitic	tachinid	flies,	this	time	by	way	of	Brisbane,	Australia.	Steamer	schedules	were	uncertain	in	that	part	of	the	world.	Muir	missed	connections,	went	through	a	thousand	an-noying	delays,	fell	ill	with	typhoid	fever	and	lay	flat	on	his	back	in	an	Australian	hospital	for	five	weeks.	In	the	meantime,	his	parasites	had	hatched	out	and	died.	But	Muir	never	gave	up.	Realizing	that	the	parasites	would	not	survive	a	direct	journey	to	Honolulu,	he	contacted	his	friend	John	Kershaw	in	Macao	to	help	him	arrange	intermediate	breeding	stations	or	depots	along	the	way.	In	February	he	was	back	in	Papua	New	Guinea,	but	still	weak	with	fever.	Leaving	in	April	with	another	colony	of	insects,	he	fell	ill	again,	but	saved	his	precious	cargo.	Kershaw	set	up	a	depot	or	station	in	a	sugar	mill	in	the	northeastern	Australian	town	of	Mossman	(Queensland)	and	bred	the	weevils	and	their	parasites	(Anon	1910).	Muir	then,	with	another	generation	of	the	parasites,	sailed	to	Fiji	and	bred	another	generation.	And	so,	crawling	slowly	up	the	Pacific	coast,	delayed	by	insuperable	obstacles,	and	still	far	from	well,	Muir	finally	reached	Honolulu	in	August	of	1910.	 Reading	of	the	exploits	of	Muir	is	like	reading	an	adventure	novel.	On	the	island	of	Ceram	(Indonesia),	Dutch	soldiers	were	at	war	with	the	native	peoples.	It	was	savage,	barbaric	warfare	marked	by	tortures	and	other	Malaysian	atrocities.	Muir	wanted	to	investigate	sugar	fields	in	the	interior,	but	was	forbidden	to	go	there	by	the	authorities.	In	Amboina,	a	spitting	cobra	almost	destroyed	his	eyesight.	In	Papua	New	Guinea	he	had	to	swim	rivers	infested	with	crocodiles.	More	than	once	his	travels	took	him	to	places	that	might	have	meant	death	for	the	average	man.	Yet	he	downplayed	the	danger	of	his	travels.	In	a	magazine	article	published	in	1912,	a	newspaper	man	asked	Mr.	Muir,	“Were	you	ever	in	danger	of	losing	your	life?”	Muir	was	a	small,	mild-looking	man	with	the	air	of	a	college	professor,	in	spite	of	the	outdoor	color	on	his	face	and	hands.	He	seemed	much	embarrassed	by	the	question.	“Oh,	no,”	he	said	with	a	sharp	English	accent	that	ten	years	knocking	about	in	the	tropics	Figure 1.	Frederick	Muir,	a	scientist	who	was	sent	 to	search	the	earth	for	a	parasite	to	destroy	a	weevil	pest	of	Hawaiian	sugarcane.	Exploits of somE Hawaiian Entomological sociEty Entomologists 155had	not	altered.	“You	see,	I	have	a	theory	that	a	man	can	go	anywhere	safely	as	long	as	he	respects	the	point	of	view	of	the	inhabitants,	whether	they	be	man	or	animals.”	 Elwood	Curtin	Zimmerman	(1912–2004)	and	Cyril	E.	Pemberton	(1886–1975,	Fig.	2)	were	also	famous	colleagues	whose	careers	were	influenced	by	the	Hawaiian	Sugar	Planters’	Association.	In	1934,	Zimmerman	interrupted	his	studies	at	UC	Berkeley	to	participate	as	an	entomologist	on	a	collecting	expedition	to	French	Polynesia	sponsored	by	the	Bishop	Museum.	He	graduated	with	a	B.S.	degree	from	UC	Berkeley	in	1936.	At	Berkeley,	he	was	known	as	“Zimmie,”	a	nick-name	which	stuck.	It	was	in	mid-1936,	soon	after	gaining	a	permanent	position	with	the	Bishop	Museum,	that	he	established	his	plan	to	monograph	the	entire	insect	fauna	of	Hawaii.	By	the	end	of	WWII,	Zimmerman	had	completed	five	volumes	of	the	work,	but	the	Museum	had	begun	to	emphasize	anthropology	over	entomology,	and	Zimmerman’s	publications	were	bumped	down	the	publication	queue.	So	after	years	of	frus-tration,	Zimmerman	sought	the	help	of	Gregg	Sinclair,	President	of	the	University	of	Hawaii,	and	Harold	Lyon,	who	was	Director	of	Hawaiian	Sugar	Planters’	Experiment	Station.	The	two	organizations	agreed	to	co-sponsor	the	works	for	publication	by	the	newly	organized	University	of	Hawaii	Press.	Over	the	next	25+	years,	Zimmerman	worked	feverishly	on	his	project,	sharing	time	between	the	Bishop	Musuem	in	Honolulu	and	the	British	Museum	in	London.	In	1972,	however,	at	the	age	of	60	and	after	financial	support	for	this	project	was	exhausted,	Zimmerman	put	aside	this	work	to	take	on	another	monumental	task:	describing	and	cataloging	the	weevil	fauna	of	Australia.	By	the	time	Zimmerman	passed	away	in	the	summer	of	2004,	he	had	completed	five	of	the	seven	planned	volumes	of	the	Australian Weevils	monographs.	For	his	work	on	Hawaiian	insects,	“Zimmie”	received	the	Regents	medal	for	distinction	from	the	University	of	Hawaii	in	1998,	along	with	Dr.	Elmo	Hardy,	who	had	written	the	volumes	on	flies.	To	Zimmerman’s	regret,	had	been	unable	to	finish	the	Insects of Hawaii	monographs,	which	lacked	volumes	on	beetles,	wasps	and	fleas.		 There	is	a	story	involving	both	Zimmerman	and	Pemberton	while	the	two	were	staying	at	an	inn	on	the	island	of	Kauai	in	August	of	1952	(Fern,	1952).	An	elderly	male	guest	at	Kauai	Figure 2. Cyril	E.	Pemberton,	Station	entomologist,	identifying	insects	caught	in	a	light	trap.156 Easton Inn	was	awakened	about	midnight	by	a	feminine	voice	in	the	hallway	of	his	cottage	crying,	“Is	there	a	man	in	this	cottage?	Please,	is	there	a	man	in	this	cottage?”	After	considering	his	66	years	of	age	for	a	moment,	Pemberton	answered	through	the	door	that,	indeed	there	was,	and	he	asked	what	he	could	do.	When	Pemberton	opened	the	door	a	young	lady	was	standing	in	the	hallway	wildly	excited	and	completely	distraught.	“There	is	a	huge	animal	in	my	room,”	she	exclaimed.	She	indicated	with	her	hands	something	the	length	of	a	good-sized	cat	or	a	dog.	“Will	you	remove	it,	please?”	Our	hero	evidently	had	some	experience	with	distraught	women	under	similar	circumstances.	He	reached	into	a	small	bag	that	he	carried	with	him	professionally	and	took	out	a	glass	container.	He	then	offered	to	capture	the	animal.	He	was	told	that	it	was	actually	in	the	cottage	next	door.	Our	hero	made	the	trip	to	the	cottage	in	his	pajamas	with	the	young	lady	following,	entered	the	room,	looked	under	the	bed	and	with	his	container	quickly	captured	a	cockroach	slightly	larger	than	ordinary	size.	The	young	lady	witnessed	with	wide-eyed	admiration	the	efficient	manner	in	which	he	captured	the	animal.	Then	noting	that	the	container	was	perfectly	suited	for	trapping	it,	she	remarked,	“Why,	you	must	be	a	professional	exterminator!”	“Well,	I	guess	I	am,”	the	elderly	guest	answered.	“But	I	am	really	in	the	wholesale	end.”	He	did	not	go	on	to	say	that	he	was	Dr.	Cyril	E.	Pemberton,	head	of	the	entomology	department	at	the	Hawaiian	Sugar	Planters’	Association.	 He	looked	forward	to	getting	the	3rd	degree	the	next	morning	by	those	who	saw	him	proceeding	in	his	pajamas	from	his	cottage	to	the	other	in	the	company	of	a	young	lady.	He	hoped	to	be	nonchalant	about	the	whole	affair.	Apparently	there	were	no	witnesses	and	his	reputation	remained	intact,	which	he	considered	worse	luck.	 Dr.	Pemberton’s	associate,	E.C.	Zimmerman,	was	not	so	certain	that	the	incident	went	un-witnessed.	He	and	Dr.	Pemberton	were	sitting	in	front	of	their	cottage	waiting	for	the	time	to	board	their	plane.	It	was	a	hot	day,	and	while	they	were	sitting	there	enjoying	the	shade,	a	“wahine”	staff	member	of	the	inn	passed	by.	Pemberton	remarked	on	the	heat	and	added	that	he	and	Mr.	Zimmerman	could	use	cooling	refreshment.	She	remarked	that	there	was	plenty	of	cooling	refreshment	at	the	bar.	Dr.	Pemberton	replied	that	would	require	a	walk	to	the	bar	and	payment	for	it,	neither	of	which	they	were	in	a	mood	to	do.	They	thought	no	more	of	the	incident	until	a	short	time	later	when	the	Inn’s	staff	member	returned	with	two	bottles	of	cold	beer	and	there	was	no	check.	Mr.	Zimmerman	believed	this	incident	was	prima	facie	evidence	that	Dr.	Pemberton’s	adventure	of	the	night	before	did	get	about.AcknowledgementThe	librarian	of	the	Hawaiian	Sugar	Planters’	Association	in	Aiea	kindly	made	available	the	articles	used	in	this	presentation.Sources Used and Literature CitedAnon.	1910.	Report	of	the	entomologist	and	vegetable	pathologist.	In	Annual	Report	of	Dept.	of	Agric.	and	Stock	for	the	year	1909–1910,	pp	77–78,	Brisbane,	Australia.Fern, C.J.	1952.	From	where	we	sit.	Garden	Island	News,	August	6.Lloyd, C.	1985.	On	being	a	traveling	Naturalist,	Chapter	2.	The	Traveling	Naturalists.	Croom	Helm,	London.	136	pp.Juvik, J.O.	2001.	Insects	of	Hawaii,	Vol.	1.	Introduction	(reprinted),	p.	xvii,	University	of	Hawaii	Press.	Honolulu.Muir, F.	1907.	Report	on	investigations	in	South	China.	Circular	No.	1.	Rept.	of	work	of	the	experi-ment	station	of	the	Hawaiian	Sugar	Planters’	Assn.	Pp.	5–11.Muir, F.	1910.	Report	on	a	second	trip	to	British	New	Guinea	to	obtain	a	tachinid	fly	parasitic	on	the	sugar	cane	borer.	Appendix	G.	Hawaiian	Planters	Record.	Pp.	94–102.	

Exploits of some famous entomologists of the Hawaiian Entomological Society.

http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/1506/1/27-easton_153-1561.pdf

Exploits of some famous entomologists of the Hawaiian Entomological Society.

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

ScholarSpace at University of Hawai'i at Manoa