“A good naturalist must be healthy, alert and tough,” writes Maxwell Knight in The Frightened Face of Nature (unpublished). “Think of some of our own naturalists today (1964): Field Marshal Lord Alanbrooke, Eric Hosking and Peter Scott. Remember that those who are inclined to make fun of naturalists are usually those who by jeering are trying to hide their own ignorance of wildlife.”

“A field naturalist is always encountering problems to which the solutions are either absent entirely; are the subject of much discussion and argument; or which are skilfully avoided by all except the adventurous and the insatiably curious.” – (Myths and Mysteries – Maxwell Knight – undated).

“Give some thought about this absorbing subject and if it appeals to you – take it up.”

The faint-hearted need not apply!