Bird Notes and News 



119 



round and round till they see the perches 

 and then make use of them, remaining 

 either until clouds disappear or until day- 

 break. . . . The perches on the roof of 

 the lantern do not seem to be made use of 

 at all by birds during migration, which 

 seems to bear out the opinion of the Dutch 

 ornithologists that perches are only of value 

 when in the full light of the lantern. 



"It is during the spring migrations that 

 the perches will be lilvely to be most useful, 

 as the birds after their long sea flight are 

 tired and are glad of the rest, but in tlie 

 autumn they can rest on land before starting 

 on their sea flight. We had not full 

 opportunity of judging the effect during 

 the spring migration, as the roof perches 

 only were fixed last spring, the gallery 

 perches not having been erected till the 

 spriQg migration was nearly over." 



PUBLIC SCHOOL ESSAY 

 COMPETITION. 



Two subjects were given for the Public 

 School Essays this year. That for the 

 Senior Division (competitors over 16) 

 was a difficult one : — 



Notes on the Legs and Feet of Birds 

 and the various uses to which they are 

 especially adapted, such as, walking, 

 hopping, perching, chmbing, wading, swim- 

 ming, etc., with observations from life on 

 one or more species exempUfying each type. 



For the Junior Division a more popular 

 topic was set, viz. : — 



Notes on Birds observed during (a) a 

 hoUday at the seaside, or (&) a holiday in 

 any inland district. A sketch map of the 

 neighbourhood to be given. 



The competition was stronger among 

 the juniors this year, no doubt in con- 

 sequence of the more attractive sub- 

 ject. In former years the larger number 

 of papers have ahvays been in the 

 Senior Division. 



The Silver Medal (Seniors) is awarded 

 to Christopher Andrew^es (Highgate 

 School), w^hose essay is by far the best 

 sent in, and is an admirable paper, 



showing good knowledge, careful study, 

 and intelligent personal observation. It 

 is well illustrated. The Second Prize 

 goes to P. A. Chubb (Bradfield College), 

 whose essay is also extremely good, 

 but less original in its observations and 

 not illustrated. The papers written by 

 Douglas J. B. Wilson (Glasgow High 

 School), R. E. R. Sanderson (Bedford 

 School), J. W. Snowdon (Rossall), and 

 R. Burnier (Bradfield), are all good and 

 are awarded Certificates and books. 



In the Jimior Division there is a tie, 

 the judges being imable to decide between 

 the work of E. E. Searight (Cheltenham 

 College) and that of C. C. Baring (Hailey- 

 bury). Both are capital essays, full of 

 good and correct observation, and a 

 Bronze Medal is accordingly awarded 

 to each. C. Baring's remarks on the 

 Migrants observed by him and E. Sea- 

 right's account of the Waders seen in 

 the neighbourhood of Aldeburgh, are 

 really excellent. The Second Prize is well 

 earned by an interesting paper on Birds 

 observed during a holiday in the Lake 

 District, by Michael Graham (Bootham 

 School). Certificates are awarded to : — 

 R. T. Bannister (Epsom College), who 

 writes well of the birds of the Isle 

 of Man; A. F. Bell (Berkhamstead 

 School), though the subject of this essay 

 is not in accordance \\-ith the conditions ; 

 E. C. Keeble (Denstone College) ; L. J. 

 Mothersill (Bedford School), with admirable 

 observations on the young Cuckoo ; C. W. 

 Somerville (Manchester Grammar School) ; 

 C. P. Staples (Christ's Hospital), a good 

 account of the birds near Bournemouth. 



The judges were Mr. E. G. B. Meade- 

 Waldo, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; Mr. W. R. 

 Ogilvie-Grant, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; and 

 Dr. F. Dawtrey Drewitt, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. 



The subjects for the 1914 Competition 

 wall be announced shortly. A Special 

 Prize, the " Owl Prize," will be offered 

 annually b}- a member of the Council 



