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Post by exoticimports on Oct 4, 2016 12:53:05 GMT
I think I have only one delias sp, schoenbergi isabellae. Well, I may have more, but I'm sure they'd be not of interest.
No morphos either. Or Troides. Or big PNG Ornithoptera goliath. I dumped them for the drawer space.
The last thing I need to do is steal museum specimens and take up more of MY space!
Chuck
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jedgar
Junior Aurelian
Posts: 73
Country: U.S.A.
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Post by jedgar on Oct 6, 2016 17:05:15 GMT
Thanks Nomad for the very interesting and informative write up on Colin Wyatt, and everyone else for the follow up info. The May family is very wary because of people like Wyatt. I'm told that several very rare specimens in their collection have vanished. They tell me in particular of a collector who showed up, viewed the collection under the guidance of John May. The visitor was wearing a top hat, Mr. May was called away for a bit, the visitor left and later Mr. May noted the loss of a valued specimen. It most likely left in the top hat.
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Post by nomad on Oct 6, 2016 18:21:28 GMT
Excuse my forgetfulness but who are the The May family?
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jedgar
Junior Aurelian
Posts: 73
Country: U.S.A.
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Post by jedgar on Oct 6, 2016 23:49:12 GMT
Excuse my forgetfulness but who are the The May family? My apologies. I'm curating their insect collection at the May Natural History Museum near Colorado Springs, Colorado. The man who amassed the 100,000 plus collection was James "Jack" May, 1883-1954. The oldest insect I've found yet is a specimen of Delias eucharis collected in Calcutta, India in 1880. It's in almost perfect condition, missing only half of one antennae. I am daily astounded by the specimens I find. I've taken a lot of photos of specimens in the collection since I began working here 2 1/2 months ago. Recently I haven't had enough time to work on very many of the photos I've taken. One photo I've already posted was of a male O. alexandrae sold or traded (the May family is looking for 1930 dated correspondence to clarify the acquisition) by Janson & Sons, 44 Great Russell St., London. It turned out to be one collected/mounted by Albert Stewart Meek probably in 1907. There are other birdwings in that case I have interesting info on, just haven't had time to work with the photos and all. I'm also working up a history of "Jack" May and his collecting to post on this forum, with pics. I have a few more weeks to work here, but will be back in a few months to continue to work on this large collection. Jim
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Post by nomad on Oct 7, 2016 3:07:48 GMT
Yes of course thank you. That is some collection the May family had. I enjoyed the images you have shown and you must have enjoyed finding that your alexandrae specimen in the museum was a Meek specimen. I contributed to your posts in that thread
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jedgar
Junior Aurelian
Posts: 73
Country: U.S.A.
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Post by jedgar on Oct 8, 2016 15:15:49 GMT
Yes of course thank you. That is some collection the May family had. I enjoyed the images you have shown and you must have enjoyed finding that your alexandrae specimen in the museum was a Meek specimen. I contributed to your posts in that thread And I sincerely appreciate your help with that finding. Every day working with the May collection is like Christmas for me. This is the first weekend in 3 that I should have time to work up some photos and text to post here.
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Post by nomad on Oct 8, 2016 17:56:01 GMT
I am pleased that you are enjoying your work at the May Museum. I am always learning and finding different things to study when I am able visit the collections at museums. Last time I went to study the birdwings again at a museum and saw some Parnassius types that were collected by the mountaineers on an early Everest expedition at their base camp at 17,000 feet!! Now I want to know all about that!! I firmly believe we owe a great debt of gratitude to collectors, without them, we would know or learn so very little about insects at all.
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Post by wollastoni on Oct 10, 2016 9:45:25 GMT
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Post by larrycurlymoe on Nov 1, 2016 22:30:17 GMT
jedgarMy son recently moved to CO Springs and I will be visiting him on a regular basis. Any chance I could get a "behind the scenes" tour of the May Museum?
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jedgar
Junior Aurelian
Posts: 73
Country: U.S.A.
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Post by jedgar on Nov 2, 2016 22:42:27 GMT
jedgar My son recently moved to CO Springs and I will be visiting him on a regular basis. Any chance I could get a "behind the scenes" tour of the May Museum? It would be my pleasure to take you on a "behind the scenes" tour of the May Museum. The museum and campground are currently closed for the winter and I have returned to Florida for a few months. However, I will be back in Colorado working at the museum come April and am planning on moving up there at that time. So please stay in touch and I'll see to it that you get a great tour once I'm back at work there. seabird@grafixnpix.com Best Regards, Jim
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Post by Adam Cotton on May 13, 2023 18:55:19 GMT
This important post was added to the 'Presentation' section (page 40), and I think it should be copied here:
Hello
I am the daughter of Colin Wyatt (his second marriage), outstanding lepidopterist and field collector. I have read the detailed description of the theft of butterflies. Please put yourself in my shoes and imagine your children reading about you (unless, of course, you are all saints).
This theft did not deter leading museums beating a path to my door to acquire his collection after his death in an airplane in Guatemala in 1975.
Accepting the facts of the court case, there are other inaccuracies. He emigrated to Australia in 1939 and served actively in the RAAF as a camouflage expert in the South West Pacific, namely New Guinea and islands. He returned to the UK after the war, after the break up of his first marriage (and then the ensuing court case).
To balance the account , please consider his rediscovery of the amazing Parnassius autocrator. Here is a description I have of him:
"Highly respected entomologist and outstanding field collector, specialising in butterflies of the northern hemisphere (Alpine and Arctic especially), discovering new species and sub-species, and writing numerous scientific papers and articles for entomological magazines worldwide in various languages. Wyatt rediscovered one of the rarest and most fabulous Asiatic mountain butterflies, Parnassius autocrator, on an expedition to Afghanistan and the Koh-i-Baba mountains and the Hindu-Kush. The results of his expeditions to this area and also to Kashmir, Nepal up to Mount Everest and Mount Annapurna, and also Sikkim, have been published in the journal of the Lepidopterists' Society, edited from Yale University, and as well as describing a large number of species and sub-species new to science, he succeeded in throwing light on certain very complicated butterfly relationships. His particular interests included Apollo and Erebia. He had one of the largest private collections of butterflies, which, on his death was much sought after by, among others, the British Museum and the Smithsonian Institute; it eventually was acquired in its entirety by the Museum of Karlsruhe, Germany."
I hope you find this interesting. I shall ignore any negative postings that may ensue; I rarely post because it can turn out so unpleasant. I am currently preparing a Wikipedia entry because there is a short one that contains some good information but also some inaccurate information. He was an extraordinary man, with many skills, and friends all over the world, but as vulnerable as we all are.
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