122 



Bird Notes and News 



COUNTY CHALLENGE 

 SHIELDS. 



BEDFORDSHIRE. 



Accidents and mischances have had their 

 part in keeping various old competitors 

 from entering this year ; but the fact 

 remains that only three Schools from Bed- 

 fordshire are represented, and the Challenge 

 Shield must accordingly be withheld. The 

 work from Woburn Boys' School has been 

 already referred to. The subjects of the 

 papers are the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, 

 Little Owl, and Crossbill ; Elm, Lime, and 

 Silver Birch. They are well illustrated. The 

 two other Teams are those of Mogerhanger 

 and Tempsford. The Mogerhanger papers 

 are on their usual lines : a general descrip- 

 tion of Bird or Tree, followed by extracts 

 from note-books. It is a young Team, and 

 the Bird Essays are not quite so good as 

 usual, but the Trees are nicely done, and 

 there is a pleasing sincerity in all. It is 

 noteworthy that this Team has selected 

 hedgerow trees and shrubs exclusively, such 

 as Spindle and Blackthorn, which are too 

 generally neglected. The Tempsford Essays 

 are very well written : short, but greatly 

 to the point, neatly put together, sym- 

 pathetic, and intelHgent. Those on Black- 

 bird, Elm, and Holly deserve special com- 

 mendation. 



BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. 



Challenge Shield : Wolverton St. Mary Girls' 

 School. 



The competition in Bucks is this year even 



keener than usual from the fact that the 



old Stony Stratford National School, which 



carried off the trophy for several years, is 



now divided into the Stony Stratford Boys 



and the Wolverton St. Mary Girls, and these 



two consequently enter the ranks separately. 



The Wolverton Girls thoroughly earn their 

 proud position as winners of the Shield, for 

 their essays are astonishingly good, showing 

 keen study, freshness of observation and a i 

 dehghtful sympathy with nature, together ] 

 with a charming style of writing. The Birds 

 are Whitethroat, Skylark, and Linnet ; the 

 Trees, Alder, Pseudo-Acacia, and Rowan. 

 The Stony Stratford Boys, though they 

 have to yield first place to their former 

 companions in success, are represented by 

 work which does them great credit ; they 

 are, it may be remarked, a younger Team 

 than the girls. Their work evidences close 

 and accurate outdoor study, and they write 

 in a straightforward and workmanlike way. 

 The Birds here are Reed- Warbler, Skylark, 

 and Moorhen ; the Trees, Tulip-tree, Walnut, 

 and Sweet Chestnut. Princes Risborough, 

 with especially excellent papers on Horn- 

 beam, Box, and Beech, and good drawings ; 

 Ellesborough, notable for enthusiastic and 

 intimate observation and for the clever 

 drawings of two of the Team ; and Coleshill, 

 with admirable first-hand work to which the 

 composition of the essays hardly does justice, 

 and with, again, sketches of exceptional 

 merit, follow closely. It is pleasant to find 

 conspicuously staunch Bird Protectors at 

 the historic village of Penn and to read their 

 interesting papers. From Lacey Green 

 comes work whose engaging fresliness and 

 sincerity give it a distinct charm ; and 

 Tyringham-cum-Filgrave is a newcomer of 

 much promise, all the papers indicating 

 individual work and thought. 



CUMBERLAND. 



Challenge Shield : St. John's Girls' School, 

 Keswick. 



The competition from Cumberland con- 

 tinues to be disappointing as to quantity, 



