Bird Notes and News 



61 



papers are sent from Badby on the Blackbird, 

 Wellingborough on the Kestrel, and Rushden 

 on Blackbird and Hedge-Sparrow. Four 

 other Teams come into the first class : 

 Badby (II.), Victoria School (II.), Cold 

 Higham, and Irthlingborough. All these 

 Schools send admirable drawings, and essays 

 showing close observation. Excellent work 

 is also produced by Blatherwycke, Braunston, 

 Pytchley (Endowed), Sywell, Middleton 

 Cheney, Long Buckby, Gretton, Clopton, 

 Croughton, Weedon Girls, Earls Barton, 

 Dallington, Great Creaton, and Yelvertoft ; 

 while some dozen other Teams gain the 

 commendation of the Judges. It is ob- 

 servable that very few of our rarer birds 

 appear in the Northants lists, but a good 

 deal more freshness and originality than 

 is usually displayed in writing on such 

 familiar birds is conspicuous in several 

 charming papers on Wren, Blackbird, Robin, 

 and Thrush. Three or four of the best 

 dozen Tree papers have the Sycamore for 

 subject. 



SOMERSETSHIRE. 



Challenge Shield. — Cleeve School. 



The results in Somerset are something of 

 a surprise this year. The competition is 

 not so strong as usual, several leading 

 Schools being absent, and a Team which 

 had not before been highly placed leaps to 

 the front rank. Cleeve takes the Shield, 

 not only, or so much, for the amoimt of 

 actual information contained in the Essays 

 as for the enthusiastic spirit displayed by 

 the young writers, the absolute freshness 

 and originality of their work, and the 

 thoughtfulness that lies at the back of it. 

 In composition and handwriting, and above 

 all in drawing, they are behind the clever 

 boys of Frome, who take the Second Prize. 



There is real artistic talent at Frome. The 

 Wembdon essays are mainly a recapitulation 

 of notes taken in spring and summer. 

 Everything the children say they seem to 

 have found out for themselves, and there 

 is a nice spirit in all ; the important point 

 of not disturbing or frightening sitting birds 

 has been carefully observed ; more general 

 description is wanted, however, to render 

 the accounts of both Birds and Trees fully 

 satisfactory. Wookey Hole is one of the 

 new Competitors of the year, and is perhaps 

 the best among them. The Essays are 

 tshort and simple, but they give evidence 

 of observation and supply one of the few 

 papers on the Goldfinch. Speaking gener- 

 ally, the choice of Birds is better in Somerset 

 than in most counties, more effort being 

 made to improve the acquaintance of less 

 common species. The Bam Owl has a 

 place among the Chillington essays, which 

 also are promising, especially in the Tree 

 work, and as both Chillington and AVookey 

 Hole are young Teams they are likely to 

 do well in the future, 



WARWICKSHIRE. 

 Challenge Shield. — Mancetter. 



The Warwickshire essays bring with them 

 a pleasant Bird and Tree atmosphere, an 

 atmosphere of open fields and sunny days 

 away from desks and books. Mancetter 

 justifies the expectation of previous years ; 

 the enthusiasm for nature-study, appreciation 

 of beauty, and last not least, humane 

 feeling, are alike admirable and point to 

 uncommonly good influence and teaching. 

 Middleton School (Tamworth) which wins 

 the Second Pi-ize, has a particularly strong 

 list of subjects, including the Chiffchaff and 

 Garden Warbler. The essays sent are all 

 nicely written and prompted by careful 



