L. Forró szerk.: Miscellanea Zoologica Hungarica 12. 1998 (Budapest, 1998)

Dely, O. Gy.: In commemoration of Mrs. Baron Géza Fejérváry, Dr. Aranka Mária Lángh (1898-1988)

ilarly to Mehely's work published 25 years earlier, in 1918, in Fauna Regni Hungáriáé. Her article, containing a short historical and a substantial literature review, was published in 1943 with the title "Beiträge und Berichtigungen zum Amphibien/Reptilien-Teil des ungarischen Faunenkataloges" in the journal Fragmenta Faunistica Hungarica. On January 1, 1939 she was given the rank of Museum Curator 1

st Class, and on 1 July she actually became Museum Curator 1

st Class. In 1943 she took part in the systematical faunistic surveys of North Transylvania reannexed in 1940, and extensively collected amphibians and reptiles, and studied their habitats in three counties (Csík, Háromszék and Maros-Torda). Her results and experiences were published one year later in a paper entitled "Data to the herpetofauna of Transylvania". In 1944 she published another article in which, besides discussing metrical and numerical characteristics of two melanistic grass snakes collected in the Kuk Alps (Máramaros County), she dealt with taxonomical and biological problems associated with them. Since her son, as an artillery officer, left to the West in 1944, and at this time her daughter was abroad as well, she had to experience the storming raid of the Hungarian capital all in herself. Her flat was bombed in January 1945. Then, as the warden of the State Natural History Museum's building in the Baross Street, she moved to a room in the museum. At the end of the war, besides her task as a curator and warden, she was appointed to organizing and supervising exhibitions as an independent museologist. During the war, the rich herpetological collections were moved to the basement; their re-incorporating and their arranging into cabinets occupied much of her time. Besides completely and conscienctiously fulfilling these tasks, she barely had the time for conducting original research. So she only produced two papers until Autumn 1951. At the end of the same year, the newly introduced serious financial restrictions forced her to leave the museum. Subsequently, she wrote three additional popular articles before leaving Hungary. On 13 October 1956, ten days before the October Revolution, at the age of 58 years she arrived to her daughter's home in Melide, Switzerland, with an official emmigration passport. (Of her years spent abroad I can make report thanks to communications with her daughter. For detailed information I am deeply indebted to her.) After a short stay in Melide, she flew to her son, in the meantime living in Maracaibo, Venezuela, in April 1957. There she enjoyed the love of her family and four grandchildren. Because she wanted to be understood by the children, she started to learn Spanish. She often made excursions sometimes with her grandchildren, but more usually alone: she collected amphibians, reptiles, snails and beetles. After spending eight years in Venezuela, she returned to her daughter in Europe. She presented the zoological collections she had taken with her to the Natural History Museum in Lugano, and offered her cooperation in determining this material. She often made excurions and collected also in Melide. She read a lot, especially literature related to biology. Sometimes an old acquaintance or friend from Budapest or Hungary visited her. During her stay in Switzerland her femur was successfully operated. After 18 years, in August 1983, she again left for Venezuela with her doctor's permission, and spent the subsequent time in Maracaibo. The majority of her time was occupied by her great grandchildren. Occasionally, she had contacts with Dr. Ferenc Werner, a veterinarian of Hungarian descendant and his family. Her health was satisfactory until 1986, not considering a few minor illnesses related to age. At this time, circulatory trouble arose, and her left leg had to be amputated above the knee in Maracaibo in 1987. Because of her protracted age, she needed more and more help and care, so her son put her in a home for elderly operated by nuns. She died of heart failure on 23 May 1988, at the age of 90. She was laid to eternal rest in Maracaibo.