10.
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
At about the same time that this Bulletin arrives
you will be receiving your copy of the Essex Naturalist.
You will probably notice that although this issue
covers two years (to bring us up to date after the
delays in recent years) it is not twice the usual thick
ness* In fact it is distinctly thin. This will have the
effect of helping the Club through its recent finacial
difficulties, but the reason for the thin Naturalist
is simply lack of papers for publication. We now have
a good printer and enough money to produce a 48 page
Essex Naturalist every year, but this can only happen
if we get a good flow of items for publication.
Many of the best articles in the past have come
from the Club's recorders writing on the subjects of
their special studies. I hope the present Club recorders
and other active members will keep up the good work.
Thirteen of the present recorders have published papers
in recent years, only four having failed to publish
anything for over ten years. What about it you four?
A glance at this or previous Naturalists will
indicate the sort of papers that are required: topics
such as the distribution of a group of plants or
animals in Essex, the ecology of a particular area
and reports of a geological and archaeological excavat-
ions are the main ones. These papers take time to write
- it is quite normal for a paper to represent several
years of gathering records or observations, followed
by many evenings of checking previous publications
and museum records before the actual writing can start.
This may sound frightening but it should not be really.
As many members know, once you have made an effort to
aquire a specialist knowledge on one topic all your
Essex Field Club meetings and other excursions in Essex
take on a new interest. Apart from major papers, the
Essex Naturalist also needs short notes - reporting
new Essex records, or other single observations. The
work involved in these is much less and yet very few