94 



Bird Notes and News 



tion of country boys." If Mr. Collinge's 

 book had been confined to his own direct 

 observations in field and laboratory respecting 

 the 35 species selected, with dates and cir- 

 cumstances clearly stated, and all extracts 

 from named and unnamed sources omitted, 

 the value of his contribution to actual 

 knowledge would have been more easily 

 estimated. 



The Home -Life of the Terns. By 

 W. Bickerton (Witherby and Co., 6/-). This 

 is perhaps the most charming of the " Home- 

 Life " series, and is altogether a delightful 

 account of the five British Sea-Swallows. 

 Mr. Bickerton had exceptional opportunities, 

 and letterpress and photographs alike show 

 the good use he made of them. Bird Pro- 

 tectors will be thanlcful to him for not 

 revealing the nesting-ground of the Roseate 

 Terns, one of the birds protected by R.S.P.B. 

 Watchers ; and also for his sympathetic and 

 often humorous delineation of Tern charac- 

 ter and individuality. 



The Revolt of the Birds : A song- 

 drama for Cloildren, in two Acts. By the 

 Rev. G. Edward Young (Charles Kelly, 2/6). 

 So many vapid and aimless plays for children 

 are put forward that it is a relief to come 

 across one which they may learn with both 

 amusement and profit. Mr. Young tells in 

 rhyme the story of the birds' revolt from the 

 cruel persecution of their race by men, 



women and children, and the chracateristic 

 proposals of various members of the bird- 

 world for taking revenge for their injuries. 

 The Sparrow would starve man by a general 

 refusal to eat caterpillars and the like ; the 

 Swallow would have all birds migrate from 

 the land ; the Starling would stop all bird- 

 music, while the Owl commends a stern " eye 

 for an eye " attack on humankind. How 

 it all ends need not be disclosed, but an 

 effective finale closes a pretty and useful 

 story. The rhymes are such as children can 

 readily commit to memory, the parts are 

 well divided among numerous speakers, and 

 staging would be simple. It is understood 

 that special music is also to be provided for 

 the songs. The little book is very attrac- 

 tively presented and illustrated in colour, 

 and should be equally popular as gift-book 

 and playbook. Mr. Young does the Society 

 the honour of dedicating it to them, and 

 a copy has been accepted by Her Majesty 

 the Queen. 



The People of the Wild. By F. St. 

 Mars (Werner Laurie, 3/6.). Mr. St. Mars' 

 dramas of animal and bird-life are manifestly 

 of the American school, and convey in their 

 breathless excitement the false notion that 

 wild life is a nightmare of hunger and terror. 

 The cover, with its frantic rabbits fleeing 

 before a Magpie, gives the keynote of the 

 book. 



Bird-and-Tree (Arbor) Day. 



Thousands of boys and girls, it is to be 

 hoped, have been appreciating the delights 

 of watching Avild nature's ways during the 

 past months, in preparing for the Society's 

 Bird-and-Tree Challenge Shield Competitions. 

 Birds have been fed in cold weather, Avith the 

 additional reason that their feeding-habits 

 and their traits of character might be watched ; 

 their nests have been guarded with jealous 

 care in order that eggs might successfully 

 blossom out into tiny birds, and that nest- 

 lings might safely develop into sturdy 



birdlings, and all be duly described in future 

 essays ; water has been provided in dry 

 weather, and all the old tearing down of 

 nests and smashing of eggs has been fiercely 

 opposed, not merely because of Bird-and-Tree 

 rules, but because interest in the shy wild 

 things has sprung up, and intelligent obser- 

 vation has been discovered to be much more 

 " worth while " than stupid destruction. 

 Birds hitherto unknown must also have been 

 identified -nith triumph ; and a little more 

 learned of bird language and song. 



