During a birding excursion to the English Gardens of Munich, in 1947 I had the privilege to meet Dr. Philipp Lehrs. I was just ten years old, thrilled by the opportunity to learn „live“ more about animals.. Dr. Lehrs was a distinguished, free-working herpetologist. He recognized my keen interest and over several years introduced me to a host of knowledge. He also made available books from his exquisite library which I inherited all when Philipp Lehrs died in 1956.
Among these herpetological publications was the separatum aus den Sitzungsberichten der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, „Herpetologia aegaea“ (1953) by Otto von Wettstein of Vienna, dedicated by a personal note to his dear friend Lehrs. Searching at once through the pages I discovered that the herpeto - (as much as the other) fauna on most islands of the Northern Sporades had never been investigated. ...weiterlesen "Northern Sporades – how it all began"