Bird Notes and News 



111 



that held them. After careful thought I 

 decided to have fortnightly meetings at 

 our house, and to shoiv the children any 

 nests I had found. About eight or ten 

 came every time. Each one had a note- 

 book in which were recorded nest, eggs, 

 songs of birds heard, and dates of all events. 

 The entries in each book were read out and 

 compared with those of all the others. 

 Each child was encouraged to bring any 

 item of news that would interest us all. 

 After the first time the talk was eager and 

 considerable knowledge shown. I found 

 that the nests I knew of were nearly all 

 kno\vn to some of the group, and as the most 

 interesting ones had been built year after 

 year in the same place, I was convinced of 

 the good faith of many at least of the 

 children. One day a beautiful little nest 

 was destroyed which I had shown to all my 

 friends a day or two before. I told them 

 I was certain they had not destroj'ed it. 

 They knew (I think), and I suspected, who 

 had, but we did not speak of that. One 

 mother told me her boy had been most 

 indignant when she asked him if he had 

 taken the nest. ' As if I should, as if any 

 of us would, when Mrs. M. had asked us 

 there and sho\^Ti it us ! ' They all want 

 to come next year and promise that much 

 extra knowledge will be forthcoming. It 

 is a very small experiment, but it is pleasant 

 to report that I believe it to have been 

 successful." 



THE BIRD AND THE TREE. 



The Bulletin of the Ligue Frangaise pour 

 la Protection des Oiseaux for August reports 

 that at the International Forestry Congress 

 organised by the Touring Club of France, a 

 paper on the protection of Birds useful in 

 the woodland was read by M. Michaud, 

 delegate from the League, and resolutions 

 were adopted : (1) That the teaching of 

 forestry should include lessons on the 

 reciprocal relations of forest and Bird, the 

 Bird protecting the forest against insects, 

 and the forest forming a refuge for the 

 Bird ; (2) that in forestry reserves and 

 national parks, measures should be taken 



for the multiplication of useful Birds and 

 the preservation of rare or decreasing 

 species. 



" ARBOR DAY " IN PORTUGAL. 



Great efforts are being made to increase 

 the forest area of Portugal, and one result 

 has been the yearly re-afforestation by the 

 State of nearly 1,750 acres of waste land 

 situated on the mountains and on the 

 shifting sands of the coast. Tlie Forest 

 and Waters Department grants prizes to 

 teachers of elementary schools who have 

 distinguished themselves in teaching forestry 

 or in organising school associations ; and 

 this year, for the first time. Arbor Day was 

 enthusiastically celebrated by the muni- 

 cipalities and schools, on March 9th. The 

 instruction of the children in the value of 

 trees is regarded as a very important part 

 of the movement, which will have solid 

 commercial results to the nation. One of 

 the principal trees groMH is the maritime 

 pine, the timber of which is exported chiefly 

 to England, largely for the making of 

 mine-props. 



It may be hoped that before long Portugal 

 will see the wisdom of combining Bird with 

 Arbor Day, since Birds are of the utmost 

 value to the forester. 



IN THE COURTS. 



Catching Goldfinches. — At lAndsey 

 Petty Sessions on September 5th, Arthur 

 Sargent ^vas summoned for taking Gold- 

 finches at Broxbourne. Decoy birds, thistles 

 and net were being used. Defendant said 

 that the birds were " proudtails," which 

 were verj^ like Goldfinches. (It is a local 

 name merely). Fined 5s. 6d. — At Kesteven 

 Sessions, on September 5th, Alfred East 

 was fined 6s. for the same ofience and for 

 giving a false name and address. He told 

 the plain-clothes policeman that he could 

 make Is. 6d. each for Goldfinches, but only 

 6d. apiece for Linnets. 



