[3][4] He spent his spare time on his passion for natural history and was a well-regarded field naturalist.
[4] He was secretary of the Hertfordshire Natural History Society (1909–19) and its president from 1920 to 1922.
He also served on the council of the Conchological Society, the British Ornithologists’ Club and the Freshwater Biological Association.
He was the first person to show evidence that black-necked grebes breed in Britain.
[4] He co-wrote articles and books on ornithology with Thomas Coward, a former schoolmate.