Finally it is fitting that we finish with a letter from Martin Hatton to the Editor from Pelobates 78, 1999.

The Editor, Pelobates, 27th February 1999

Dear Sir,

I think that Paul Stacey has written the most accurate account of cave surveying yet published. (This is, of course, completely different from an account of the most accurate cave surveying yet published!) However he omitted one important detail: the person with the tape should have the word “RIGHT” written on the glove he or she wears on his or her left hand and the word “LEFT” on the glove worn on the right hand. This eliminates all those silly conversations along the lines of “When you say right do you mean my right or your right?” which occur when the lead surveyor and tape-person are facing one another. For this strategy to work it does, of course, require that you do not employ to hold the tape the sort of person who asks questions like “When you say right do you mean my nominative right or my actual right?” Given the academic qualifications of Croydon members which you noted in your editorial, it might be difficult to get people of the right calibre for this important job.

Yours &c.

Martin Hatton

P.S. Thanks for Pelobates 77. Unfortunately page 6 was blank. Could you perhaps send me a copy of just that page sometime? Thanks.