114 



Bird Notes and News 



Members of the society and others familiar 

 with the society's greeting-cards will feel 

 more than ordinary sorrow at the news of 

 the death on the western front of Mr. 

 H. E. 0. Murray-Dixon, whose pictures 

 of the white Doves on the card of 1914, and 

 of the Kestrel, in illustration of the Hon. 

 Juhan GrenieU's noble lines, on that of 1915, 

 were so much admired. Mr. Murray-Dixon 

 was a second-lieutenant in the Seaforth 

 Highlanders. 



Another loss to the ornithological world is 

 that of Mr. F. Goodyear, jun., R.E., one of 

 whose letters home was published in Bird 

 Notes and Neivs, and who would no doubt 

 have made his mark as a student of the 

 birds he loved and observed so weU. 



SPECIAL LEAFLET FUND. 



In response to the conditional offer of the 

 late Mr. Till of a guinea donation to assist 

 in the printing and circulation of " Birds, 

 Insects, and Crops," and other publications 

 dealing with the economic value of birds, 

 a generous response has been received from 

 the following friends of the cause — 



Lady Theodora Guest, Lady Laura Ridd- 

 ing, Mrs. Ashton Allen, Miss Wright Ander- 

 son, Mrs. Stratton Boulnois, Mr. J. A. 

 Brooke, Miss Clifton, Mrs. Close, Mr. H. 

 Collison, Miss E. Colman, Miss H. Colman, 

 Sir William Cooper, CLE., Mr. Fleming 

 Crooks, Miss Garnett, Captain H. S. Glad- 

 stone, Mr. J. H. Gurney, Mr. W. P. Hiem, 

 Sir Alfred Jodrell, Mrs. Johnston, Miss 

 C. A. L. Jones, Dr. Longstaff, Dr. Penrose, 

 Mrs. R. H. S. Scott, Lady SheUey, Miss 

 Stewart, Mr. Edgar Syers, Mrs. Wallis 

 ToUer, Mr. R. W. Waller. 



Greeting Card, 19 17-8. 



The appropriateness and beauty of Mr. 

 Thorburn's picture of the Robin " Behind 

 the Lines " have given the society's greeting- 

 card wide distribution. It is proposed to 



sell the original picture by auction at the 

 society's annual meeting, for the benefit 

 of the funds. A choice of special verses 

 ensured the card additional favour ; besides 

 those printed on the card, the following 

 touching lines, by Mr. Trevor-Battye, have 

 been supplied as an " inset," or for use 

 separately. 



CHRISTMAS IN THE LINES. 

 1917. 



It comes in lege^id down the centuries 



That when the World's Redeemer hung to die, 



A little pitying bird flew up to move 

 The Croivn of Agony. 



All snow-white was its breast ! but even as 

 In gentle flutterings it vainly tried 



To lift the torture of the piercing thorn, 

 That wounded breast was dyed. 



This is the story of the Redbreast. 



Here 



It brings our loved the England that they 

 know, 

 And sings from this or that small wooden cross. 

 Set in a drift of snow, 



Sleep, aft«r faith unbroken, 

 Sleep, after sersace done ; 



Safely home at close of day 

 And setting of the sun. 



Sleep, with the bugle calling 



ReveiUe to the day ; 

 The fighting and the weariness 



Have passed for thee away. 



Bells are a-peal in England, 



Under a village spire ; 

 There is holly, there are children, 



And the singing of the choir ; 



And hearts are beating proudly. 

 Although the eyes may weep ; 



They know thy gallant story, 

 Sleep, boy, untroubled, sleep. 



No mention ? See, on waking ! 



No medal ? Let it be — 

 A King shall meet thee, bringing 



His shining Star for thee. 



