Welsh Journals

Colonel Salmon's main contribution to conservation has been his work with the Red Kite. As a member of the so-called Kite 'Group' he spent a great deal of time, energy and tact in interesting farmers and landowners in central Wales in saving the species and in preserving the nesting sites. And as compiler of a confidential document he pieced together fragmentary and scattered records into as near a coherent history as possible of its decline to near extinction and its subsequent recovery. What I have just outlined is, of course, a mere catalogue of some of the major achievements of a remarkable man. Hopefully it reflects something of the dedication, the attention to detail, the persistence, the stamina, the ingenuity and the powers of persuasion two Royal Navy destroyers ferrying ornithologists back and fore to the island of Skokholm in 1934 is one typical example. Inevitably, however, it cannot do justice to what has been, and indeed still is, a very full and extremely exciting life. Colonel Salmon's contributions to the study of birds have already been recognised in a variety of ways. One of the most recent is the National Museum's tribute in the form of an exhibition entitled '75 years of ornithology in Wales.' I now present him, Mr. Vice-Chancellor, for another award which he richly deserves and which will appropriately reflect the totality of his contributions to science. Dr. D. A. Bassett Obituaries Two well-known figures in the scientific and conservation world in Wales-Eric Bartlett and Jeff J efferson-died during 1986. Both were members of the Editorial Board of Nature in Wales. Eric Bartlett Eric Bartlett came to the Brecon area in about 1946 and died in Brecon Hospital on Wednesday 27 August at the age of 65. He lived a very full and varied life and, as was clearly stated at the gathering arranged in his memory at the National Park's Mountain Centre on 11 October, he will be sorely missed. The National Park Committee, for example, lost a much valued member who brought unequalled experience to bear on the Committee's work (having been first appointed to the former Breconshire Park Planning and Joint Advisory Committees at the time of their establishment in 1960). His service was continuous until 1974 when he became a member of the Countryside Commission's Committee for Wales. Then in 1982 the Secretary of State for Wales appointed him to the present Park Committee. It was not, however, the length of his service to the Park which was its most remarkable feature. His knowledge of a very wide range of countryside matter- from mountain navigation to the breeding records of pied flycatchers-and his deep understanding of environmental and human affairs made the quality of his contribution unique. His perception and foresight was as keen when considering routine planning applications as when assessing afforestation proposals or the work of the warden service. For thirty years he was himself warden of Ty'n-y-caeau Youth Hostel, followed by ten years as National Trust subagent; for many years he served as a magistrate. He cared greatly for this part of Wales and for those who are permanent or visiting members of the local community. The loss to the County Naturalist Trust movement in Wales was equally great. He was, for example, a founder member, in 1963, of the Brecknock Naturalists' Trust, becoming its indefatigable Honorary Secretary ten years ago. In this capacity he was a familiar figure at local shows, as well as at Trust lectures, field meetings and talks to local groups. His ornithological expertise also served the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the British Trust for Ornithology, the Home Office Advisory Committee on Birds-and many an injured or ill bird which might be restored to health in his study or (if it was a swan) in his bath! Eric Bartlett was also closely involved with the formation of the Brecon Mountain Rescue Team (of which he was an active member) and of the South Wales Mountain Rescue Association, being Honorary Secretary of both for many years. His ability to deal with difficult situations wisely, patiently, firmly and with humour was also applied to the work of the Magistrates Court through his appointment as a Justice of the Peace in 1969. There were, in addition, many other local organisations (from Brecon Scouts to the local branch of the Council for the Protection of Rural Wales) which he served as secretary or chairman, often devoting many hours to duplicating minutes with meticulous efficiency and pride on an 'obsolete' machine. Note: Obituary Notices appeared in the National Park Newsletter (No. 42) and the Brecon & Radnor Express. Dr. G. T. Jefferson 'Jeff Jefferson died on September 16 1986 at the age of 67. At the crematorium ceremony at Thornhill, Cardiff, Mr. Roger Smith of the South Wales Caving Club and Prof. Denis Bellamy, Head of the Zoology Department at University College, Cardiff paid tribute to Dr. Jefferson's life and work. The following statement is based on their addresses. Jeff Jefferson joined the staff of University College, Cardiff in 1946. He came from Edinburgh where he had been working in a Government Research Unit set up during the war to investigate the pests of stored foods. By the mid 1960s, as one of the small group of British entomologists pioneering the relatively new field of insect-physiology, he was working on locusts and blowflies, studying their physiological potential for adaption to a wide range of environments. His hope was that fundamental work on stress resistance would reveal a weakness in the insects' physiology which could then be exploited as part of a pest control measure. His work on heat-sensitivity of flies was a model of perfection for that era, when a successful researcher had to operate with few resources. His discovery that flies were exceptional in their ability to survive at high temperatures was later taken up by a group of Canadian biochemists who revealed the molecular principles; his work on heat injury provided a base line for a team in the University of Sussex who used the effects of temperature to develop a theory of molecular ageing. It was characteristic that he was happy to provide lead and stimulus to other people in this way. Throughout his career he also carried a heavy teaching load in the undergraduate courses. An all-round zoologist, of a kind that it is rare to find today, he was able to turn his mind to most aspects of animal biology and in his career he probably lectured on most zoological topics. He readily took on administrative duties and had a flair for giving large and small tasks their due attention. This involvement in the day-to-day running of