46 



Bird Notes and News 



The chief contributory to regular and suc- 

 cessful work on the part of the Schools is 

 local interest. Even the most enthusiastic 

 of teachers (and happily there are many of 

 these) flags somewhat when he finds local 

 residents neither express pleasure in efforts 

 thus made to afford the children the finest 

 kind of Nature study ; nor come forward 

 with local prizes ; nor give sympathetic 

 help with the teaching of the children or 

 in the happy celebration of Bird-and-Tree 

 Day. To those who do so assist, especially 

 the clergy, thanks are heartily accorded. 

 Mrs. Suckling's pioneer work in Hampshire 

 has been well known for many years, and in 

 recent years ladies in other counties, such 

 as the Duchess of Bedford in Bedfordshire, 

 Mrs. Milner in Derbyshire, and Mrs. Acland 

 in Suffolk, have given invaluable encourage- 

 ment to young students ; and it is to be 

 hoped that as time goes on more and more 

 help and interest of this character will be 

 forthcoming. 



There is an unfortunate tendency with 

 some schools to refuse to send in their work 

 unless they themselves think it Hkely to 

 gain the Shield. This has very mihappy 

 results. It is hard on the children, who 

 lose all awards for and encouragement in 

 their work ; if persisted in, it would obviously 

 kiU the Competition altogether ; and it fore- 

 stalls somewhat ungraciously the decision 

 of the Society, which might conceivably be 

 entirely different from that of the modest 

 teacher or the dissatisfied local committee. 

 Encourage the children, by all means, to 

 try, for the sake of the admirable effect of 

 the study itself ; but let them have a chance 

 of winning tangible rewards. 



The need for and value of the work is 

 being ever increasingly felt, both in England 

 and in other countries, and the acknow- 

 ledgments of all friends of education, as well 



as of the Society, are due to County Councils 

 and teachers who forward the scheme. 



BIRD-AND-TREE WORK 

 AUSTRALIA. 



IN 



Bird-and-Tree work is making rapid ad- 

 vance in South Australia. The Education 

 Gazette (Adelaide), for June, 1912, says : — 



" Although it is less than two years since 

 the first celebration of Bird and Tree Day 

 was held in South Australia, the formation 

 of Bird Protection Clubs has progressed at 

 a rate which is very gratifying. A year ago 

 there were 179 cIuIds, with a membership of 

 5,150 ; to-day the number of clubs is 285, 

 representing 8,250 members. Such vigorous 

 growth is an indication that the interest of 

 teachers and pupils has been aroused by the 

 attempt we are making to foster a love for 

 oiu" birds. Many of them are so truly the 

 friends of man that we should seek to pro- 

 tect them if for no higher reasons than purely 

 selfish ones. Apart altogether from the 

 service they render, they are a source of 

 pleasure and delight. Woods where bird- 

 notes are never heard, where the flutter of 

 their wings is never seen, remind one of a 

 graveyard with its gloomy silence, its 

 solemnity, and its sadness. Let every 

 teacher and every boy and girl become an 

 enthusiastic bird-lover and bird-protector, 

 and each of them will be adding to the 

 wealth and simple joys of the country." 



It is further remarked that the appearance 

 of many of the school grounds has been 

 transformed by the provision of beautiful 

 trees and shrubs, since the institution of 

 Arbor Day, which preceded Bird-and-Tree 

 Day by some years. " To arouse in the 

 minds of our children a desire to beautify 

 their country, and to create in their hearts 

 a love for our native birds, is to sow the 

 seeds of true love of country." No less 

 important is the same teaching in Great 

 Britain. Here we have not to contend 

 against the drought and aridity of much of 

 Australia, but we have to fight the careless 

 destruction wrought by children with whom 



