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Al Ain Chapter, Emirates Natural History Group in Dubai Directory

In her book, Wild about Reptiles, a Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of the UAE, Marijcke Jongbloed writes about Bish in her Dedication. Once in a while, you meet a person who affects a change in you. Often it is a teacher, or someone who is good at what you would like to be good at. During my early years in the Emirates I came across such a person. His name was John Norman Bishop Brown, but everyone called him Bish. Bish was a speaker at the Al Ain Natural History Group one evening, and his talk about reptiles was fascinating, especially because he not only showed superb slides, but he even had taped sounds which some reptiles produce, mostly in their threat displays. Bish had been in the Middle East since 1951, working in the oil industry, initially in Kuwait. There he set up the first natural history group of the region. He had fallen in love with the flora and fauna of the desert -- especially its reptiles. During the next forty-two years he went about observing, collecting, sharing his enthusiasm and expertise and passing on his love to other people. He could identify grasses and plants, and spot birds; he knew the tracks of insects and lizards, and could tell stories about pottery shards and arrow heads. His insatiable curiosity about desert habitats was so infectious that it was impossible not to fall under his spell. I certainly did! Being with someone who knows so much can sometimes be overwhelming, but with Bish, it was just the opposite. He was modest, and had a good sense of humour, which made it fun to go on trips with him. He came to the UAE in 1976 and soon established the Emirates Natural History Group (ENHG), together with Rob Western and Tony Harris. hen Bish retired from ADMA-OPCO in 1985, he stayed on in Abu Dhabi doing preparatory work for a natural history museum that was to be established in the Old Fort. He expanded and classified the ENHGs collections and took people on marvellous field trips. In 1991 he was given the first ENHG Award for Natural History (then called the Jashanmal award) and no one deserved it more. Unfortunately the natural history museum in Abu Dhabi never materialised and Bish eventually went back to England in 1992. His love for reptiles was special and he knew more about them than anyone I had ever met. I tried to persuade him to write a book so that others could benefit from his knowledge and enjoy his great pictures. In the end we decided that we would do the book together. In the summer of 1995 I travelled to the UK on a business trip and planned to visit him to discuss our project. When I called to make an appointment, his wife Beth told me that Bish had passed away the day before. Later Beth sent me the slides of reptiles and the notes that Bish had made over the years, and they are the basis for this book. He had already prepared an introduction for the book, which I quote: It is not possible to write a book without using other peoples thoughts and findings. My knowledge of reptiles has been collected over the past forty years or so. I do not remember how I came by some of the information, having written it down without a reference. Some is personal observation, some has been passed on verbally or in correspondence with people who have studied the subject in detail, quite a lot has come from books. To everyone who has contributed in some way I give my thanks. I hope that this guide will be a tribute to the man who most inspired me to love the desert and all that lives in it. -- MJ.

Address: P.O. Box 18057, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
Telephone: 03-703-9676
Fax: 03-767-2033
Website: http://www.enhg.org/