Bird Notes and News 



31 



Bird-and-Tree (Arbor) Day. 



*' Whenever the children in my room 

 get Ustless and seemingly indifferent to 

 their work, I always can awaken a keen 

 interest and get them all stirred up by 

 introducing the subject of Bird Study." 

 This is the comment of one teacher quoted 

 by another in the Illinois (U.S.A.) Bird 

 and Arbor Day Annual for 1912. IlUnois 

 is one of the States where the day is 

 observed by proclamation of the Governor, 

 and he commends it in the following 

 words : — 



" I hereby urge that city ^and ^village 

 authorities make a special effort by public 

 exercises and by enlisting the local Press 

 to arouse interest in the planting of trees 

 along the streets and in the protection of 

 song birds ; that all organizations for social 

 and ciNnc betterment use their influence to 

 promote the observance of these days in 

 order that the wealth, comfort, and attrac- 

 tiveness of our State may be enhanced ; 

 and more especially that school authorities 

 secure the observance by school children by 

 appropriate exercises and by planting trees, 

 vines, and flowers about school buildings 

 and their homes, in order to arouse and fix 

 in the minds of our future citizens proper 

 sentiments towards Birds and Trees." 



In the celebration of Bird Day recently 

 at Carrick in Pennsylvania, the Governor 

 of the State and the Mayor and Corpora- 

 tion of the towTi were present, while 2,000 

 children had their celebration fete. The 

 Governor gave some hundreds of cherry 

 and mulberry saplings and the same 

 number of nesting-boxes for children to 

 take to their homes, and a great " Nesting 

 Town " for 60 Martins to be put up in 

 the school-ground. 



Le CheniV (Paris) ' chronicles the first 

 distribution of medals and certificates 

 made by the Societe d'Acchmatation of 

 France in connexion with that Society's 

 new organization for encouraging the 

 study of Natural History in the primary 

 schools. The success of the scheme in 

 the schools of Paris has so far been com- 

 plete, and it will now be introduced into 

 a wider area. Each school sends up its 

 six best essays, and stress is laid on the 

 need for direct personal observation rather 

 than lessons learned in class or from 

 books. 



"We have essayed," said M. Edmond 

 Perrier, President of the Society, " to place 

 the hosts of our fields and our woods under 

 the protection of those who are, through 

 curiosity or idleness, their most dangerous 

 enemies : the children. We would have them 

 use the time they now spend in robbing the 

 nests of Goldfinch and Chaffinch, in leamine: 

 that it is necessary to respect them, and in 

 seeking to comprehend that all that hves 

 compels too much admiration ever to be 

 wantonly destroyed." 



Le Chenil also draws attention to the 

 R.S.P.B. Silver Medal Essay by Mr. Percy 

 Worthington on " The Birds of Paris," as 

 one that should stimulate the ambition 

 of young bird-students of France not to 

 be beaten on their own ground. 



School Teams competing for the 

 Society's Bird-and-Tree County Challenge 

 Shields and Prizes, are reminded that 

 Essays should reach the Society's Office, 

 23, Queen Anne's Gate, not later than 

 the first week in August. 



