BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



45 



The competitions have also proved that neither 

 town nor village, neither older or younger scholars, 

 have an in tial advantage. The younger children, 

 indeed, often have a pretty simplicity that is more 

 pleasing than the stilted phraseology of some of 

 the moreadvanced students. Morhangerand Privett 

 have shown what the villages can do. It is, 

 indeed, rather the towns which need to look to 

 their laurels. 



It seems desirable to put in one word to dis- 

 courage the autobiographical style of writing. It 

 is possible for a child to write in the imaginary 

 person of a Thrush or an Oak-tree, and to keep to 

 si mple facts, but the writer is much more likely to drift 

 into the story-book style and introduce suppositions 

 and notions which, however pretty in themselves, 

 as the fancies of a boy or girl, do not help to a know- 

 ledge of the ways, or the minds, of birds. A good 

 many essayists have ventured on the experiment 

 this year, and in most cases unwisely. 



The number of species described (each competi- 

 tor, it will be remembered, chooses a bird and a tree 

 for study) has risen from 33 in 1905 to 45 this year, 

 a very creditable total. The favourites are the 

 Robin (very much to the fore), Thrush, Chaffinch, 

 Lark, and Moorhen ; and Cumberland again shows 

 the most originality and variety of selection. The 

 number of trees keeps pace with that of birds, being 

 44 as against 34 last year ; Oak, Elm, and Beech 

 are most popular, but the Holly is also a favourite, 

 and the Hornbeam, Wayfaring tree, Dogwood, 

 Box, Cedar, and Deodara, find a place. 



The judges were Mr. Montagu Sharpe, Chairman 

 of Council, Mr. W. H. Hudson, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U., 

 Mrs. Lemon, F.Z.S., and Mr. Howard Saunders, 

 F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. 



BEDFORDSHIRE. 



Challenge Shield : Morhanger School. 

 Certificate of Excellence : Tempsford School. 

 Highly Commended; Clophill. Commended; 

 Eaton Socon, Hockliffe, Keysoe, Sandy, Woburn. 



It is pleasant to have to record a very marked 

 improvement in the essays from Bedfordshire. In 

 previousyears thegenerallevelhad been hardly upto 

 that of other counties ; the papers had wanted bright- 

 ness of style and sympathy of feeling ; but Nature 

 Study is now much better understood, and the 

 children are waking to a real personal interest in 

 Bird and Tree life. Morhanger has come to the 

 front at a bound, and sends in papers so full of 

 original observation as fairly to astonish the judges. 

 Note-books have been kept most intelligently, and 



the exact and painstaking observations recorded 

 are the more remarkable that they are the work of 

 children of ten and eleven years of age. Temps- 

 ford, which was well in the running for the Shield 

 last year, again takes a high place ; and in con- 

 sequence of the improvement in these two schools, 

 Clophill, holders of the trophy for 1905-6, drops 

 back into third place. Their papers are still very 

 good, but less suggestive of individual and original 

 work. Sandy, Keysoe, and Hockliffe, all very 

 meritorious, have done a good deal of their study- 

 ing indoors, but there are fresh and pleasant 

 touches ; Eaton Socon's papers tell more (though 

 not enough) of what the writers have themselves 

 seen, and the essays from Woburn, short and 

 simple as they are, are commendably natural and 

 genuine. 



BERKSHIRE. 



Challenge Shield : Buckland School (fourth 

 year). Certificate of Excellence : Braywick 

 School, Bray. Highly Commended : Burghfield. 

 Commended : Touchen End. 



Once more Buckland takes the lead, and chiefly 

 for the reason that the team has struck out a line 

 of its own. Instead of starting with the book 

 description of a familiar subject and adding what- 

 ever of original matter can be obtained, the young 

 competitors hunt up some ^//familiar Bird or Tree, 

 and by dint of frequent visits and much patient 

 watching put together a bright and readable 

 description of their find. It is all wonderfully 

 clever and amusing. The danger is perhaps an 

 inclination to rely too much on a lively narrative 

 style and be satisfied with somewhat thin matter. 

 All the essays from Braywick are written with 

 marked intelligence and in beautiful penmanship. 

 One feels that if these well-informed little maidens, 

 who write so well, will now turn their attention to 

 outdoor observation, they should produce some- 

 thing very good indeed. In the Burghfield papers 

 the average of merit is very even ; they are careful 

 and show ability to observe, and have some nice 

 touches. Touchen End's essays are exceedingly 

 short ; they are simple and pretty and youthful, 

 but elementary. The little writers should be en- 

 couraged to go on. 



BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. 



Challenge Shield: Stony Stratford National 

 School. Certificate of Excellence: Ellesborough 

 School. Highly Commended : Cheddington. Com- 

 mended: 1'iinces Risborough, Taplow. 



