History of CUIC

page 2

<Back to page 1

Early Collection Development

By the beginning of the 1900's, Cornell University had established the preeminent Department of Entomology in the world. Recognizing that teaching about insect biology and evolution required access to a diversity of physical specimens, Professors J.C. Bradley and W.T.M. Forbes mounted expeditions to a variety of exotic locales. One of the earliest of such trips involved Bradley, Professor William Morton Wheeler of Harvard University, Dr. Joseph Bequaert of the American Museum of Natural History, Dr. Anne Morgan of Mount Holyoke College, Dr. Philip Munz (later to write the Flora of California), and student Harry H. Knight. They drove in three cars--the Ezra Cornell , a Buick, the John Harvard and the Simon Henry, both Fords--leaving Ithaca on May 24, 1917, and arriving in Berkeley, CA on August 30. [map of their journey]

"That evening at dusk, we had to cross the Agua Fria as it was receding from flood...The Fords crossed in fine style, but the Buick...dropped the forward end of its mudpan...scooping up water and sand and pouring it over the engine. The bath was not relished, so the engine promptly struck...Presently the engine, beginning to feel ashamed at being peeved by a bath of muddy Agua Fria, showed signs of an intention to go. We coaxed it and it sputtered, but finally ran.
'Everybody push,' and soon we were out on the western bank...

(1919, number 2, The Scientific Monthly, pp.1-54.)"

Bradley and Forbes continued their collecting efforts with trips to northern South America, Chile, Puerto Rico and Africa. Entomologists have always been a resourceful lot, and Cornellians are the rule rather than the exception. When sent to the Pacific to survey mosquitoes for the U.S. Army, Capt. J. G. Franclemont also found time to make extensive collections of Lepidoptera in the Solomon and Philippine Islands. These are among the 300,000 moths he recently donated to Cornell, after having achieved the rank of Professor Emeritus.

Other Cornell professors have also made major contributions to the Collection; James G. Needham--dragonflies and mayflies, O. A. Johannsen--fungus gnats and other primitive flies, Henry Dietrich-- many different families of beetles, Clifford O. Berg--sciomyzid snail killing flies, Laverne L. Pechuman--horse flies, George C. Eickwort--native bees. Looking back, the Cornell University Insect Collection can be viewed as an archive housing the entomological research interests of 125 years of Cornellians. Looking forward to the challenges of preserving biodiversity given the conflicting pressures of the modern world, our broad commitment to collection development makes the CUIC a world treasure for taxonomic research.