Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Maitland Emmet, MBE, TD, MA, HON. FRES, FLS.
Maitland (right) at his last Essex Moth Group Meeting
© Bob Gooding
Bizarrely, he offered me a bet, that his
garden tick list would reach 1,000 species
before he died, the prize should he win
would be a case of sherry. In the end the
bet was lost, by a mere six species, but his
garden still easily holds the Essex record.
Although sometimes dismissive of light-
traps, in later years when mobility became
limited, his own Robinson trap gave him
much pleasure.
Not that mobility problems stopped him
from doing some real field work! During a
trip to Old Hall Marshes nature reserve in
September 1998, the rain fell hard and the
wind cut through you, but oblivious to the
elements Maitland happily ambled over the salt marshes and recorded moths, to the consternation of
everyone. At lunch time, as we sat in his car, I watched amazed as he poured himself a goodly
measure of beer.
He had just completed work on Volume 4 of The. Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland
series. This is a book all serious lepidopterists want above all others because it tackles some of the
most difficult moth families. When it is published it will be a fitting epitaph to one of our finest and
best-loved lepidopterists.
His passing leaves a huge gap, an act impossible to follow.
EFC ANNUAL EXHIBITION 18 NOVEMBER 2000
On 18 November 2000 the Field Club inaugurated what it hopes will become an important annual
natural history event for the county. Over 5 0 people met at the Red Cross Hall in Chelmsford with 13
planned exhibits and several other displays and collections brought along on the day. Just squeezing
into a comer of the room were three 8-foot tall posters bringing attention to the Ancient Tree Forum.
Also on the large side was an enormous Mistletoe from Hylands Park that had outgrown its own
holdfast, brought by Mark Hanson.
At the other end of the scale were displays of invertebrates including leaf-cutting bees and the Grey
Mining Bee, thought to be extinct in Essex until this year. There were dried fungi and herbarium
specimens on display, with advice available on how to prepare such items for identification. There
was an attractive display from English Nature highlighting heathland conservation in Essex and a
detailed display of the exemplary BSBI Atlas 2000 project work being undertaken by the Botany
Group. New projects were highlighted including the County Red Data List and the proposed Essex
Ancient Tree Recording Group.
An excellent buffet was provided with wine and soft drinks. Everyone who came had a good time in
the convivial atmosphere, with many people staying right up until packing up time. There was lots of
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Essex Naturalist (New Series) 18 (2001)