Bird Notes and News 



125 



tion and in spite of some obvious faults. The 

 work is both genuine and zealous, the Tree 

 papers (notably that on the Laburnum) 

 especially so, and the drawings are well done. 

 The Victoria Council School, Wellingborough, 

 which takes Second Prize, has a remarkably 

 good hst of Birds ; Wliinchat, Wliitethroat, 

 and Skylark are described in a pleasant 

 natural style and with admirable observa- 

 tion ; and those on Hornbeam, Birch, and 

 Scots Pine are astonishingly close and full 

 of accurate detail. Long and full too are 

 the essays from North-end, Rushden ; they 

 are also noteworthy for inteUigence and nice 

 feeling, and are gracefully written. Pytchley 

 (C.E.), with remarkably well thought-out 

 and cleverly done papers (including an 

 excellent one on the Kestrel) ; Cold Higham, 

 where the girls have made the running 

 and do great credit to their school ; Braunston 

 C.E., notable for careful studies of Trees 

 and good water-colour drawings ; Rushden 

 (Newton Road), and Rushden (Alfred Street) 

 again specially strong on Trees and in 

 drawings ; Badby, graced with that touch 

 of enthusiasm and personal deHght which 

 gives the greatest charm to nature-work ; 

 Irthhngborough, displaying genuine artistic 

 abihty as well as direct outdoor observation ; 

 and Gretton, with very pleasant and brightly- 

 written essays ; all reach the " Excellent " 

 standard. Some of the Teams in the next 

 class are but a point or two below ; they 

 comprise Braunston (2nd Team), Croughton, 

 which sends in three teams, Aynlio, Irthhng- 

 borough (2nd Team), two Teams from 

 Middleton Cheney, Welton C.E., Mears 

 Ashby (two Teams), Woodford-cum-Menebris 

 (capital essay onthe Yellowhammer), Wootton 

 C.E., Hushden C.E., and Great Addington. 

 A dozen other Schools are represented by 

 promising and sometimes excellent work. 



Polebrook sends the youngest Team in the 

 competition, the average age being nine 

 and one competitor only seven. A greater 

 variety of Birds miglit be selected ; there 

 are thirteen essays each on Thrush and 

 Robin. 



SOMERSET. 



Challenge Shield : Frorae C.E. Boys' School. 

 Second Prize : Exford. 



The competition in Somerset is stronger 

 than last year and introduces an unusual 

 number of new competitors, several of 

 whom at once take liigh places, but the 

 absence of several older Teams indicates 

 some lack of staying power ; more fresh 

 schools come in and drop out than in any 

 other county. Cleeve, last year's Siiield- 

 wiimer, is absent; so too, are Yatton and 

 Long Ashton, which formerly sent in some 

 of the best essays in the whole competition. 

 The Judges are glad, however, to find in 

 all the Schools represented increased outdoor 

 observation, a point in which Somerset has 

 always been strong. Frome Boys' School 

 wins the Shield once again with studies 

 clever and accurate, though perhaps not 

 quite so interesting as their work has some- 

 times been. The subjects are Goldfinch, 

 Yellowhammer, and Skylark ; Maple, Horn- 

 beam, and Beech. The drawings are admir- 

 able, one really beautiful little painting of 

 a Beech twig being the best sent in from the 

 county, and hardly surpassed by any in 

 the competition. The second place is taken 

 by Exford, another School that invariably 

 produces capital work. The essa3'-s are bright, 

 intelligent, and interesting, and are really 

 remarkable as coming from a Team with an 

 average of only eleven years. Frome Girls* 

 Council School promises extremely well, 

 having had three teams at work from which 



