Elementary, My Dear Jansy.
 
      Nabokov said (in fact he told me personally in 1959) that he named the Karner Blue subspecies (which now may turn out to be a species in its own right) samuelis in honor Samuel Scudder, one of the great American entomologists of the 19th century and one of the two leading authorities on the Lepidoptera of North America. (The other was William H. Edwards, born in the Catskills, who inspired Henry Walter Bates & Alfred Russsel Wallace to explore & collect in the Amazon Basin.  Bates was the father of Batesian mimicry --- ponder that you students of VN's magical imagery ---while Wallace gave Darwin a run for the roses.) 
 
      For all the blizzard of emails that I receive every time I turn on my computer about VN lit'ry matters, allusions, this & that small point, etc. his deeply rich entomological side gets short shrift. There must be, God knows, doctoral theses in this vein to mine.  Hey, C. P. Snow was right.
 
      Meanwhile, Happy Birthday to All, including Shirley Temple, .
 
      Robert H. Boyle. 


The Average US Credit Score is 692. See Yours in Just 2 Easy Steps!
Search the archive Contact the Editors Visit "Nabokov Online Journal"
Visit Zembla View Nabokv-L Policies Manage subscription options

All private editorial communications, without exception, are read by both co-editors.