Bird Notes and News 



47 



frightful slur upon the educational system. 

 The curiosity of the child was one of the 

 greatest assets of the teacher, whose business 

 was to stimulate and guide it ; and the speaker 

 gave instances of the way in which children 

 had drawn instruction and delight from 

 swallows and owls nesting in the schoolhouse. 

 The note-taking needed for the Competition 

 trained them in observation and in the orderly 

 recording of events ; and he laid special stress 

 upon the training of the ear in learning the 

 notes of wild birds, which not only afforded 

 great pleasure and was of immense assistance 

 in identifying species, but produced the in- 

 telligent listening required in many occupations 

 of life, from the doctor with his stethoscope 

 to the chaufieur alert to the sounds of his 

 machine and the railway-man tapping the 

 wheels of the coaches. Mr. Johnson also 

 afforded a lesson in intelligent recitation by 

 showing how Tennyson's " Throstle " might be 

 given. 



A large amount of R.S.P.B. literature, not 

 only on Bird and Tree Competitions, but on 

 Bird Protection work in general, was taken by 

 those present at the meetings, and the Secretary 

 of the Society (Miss Gardiner) was there to 

 answer questions. It is hoped that a good 

 proportion of the teachers will communicate 

 further with the Society and introduce the 

 scheme (if they have not already done so) into 

 their schools. 



"WHAT MANCHESTER SAYS TO-DAY" 



Among several recent articles for which the 

 Society has to thank the Press is the following 

 on the Bird and Tree Competitions, which 

 appeared in the Manchester Guardian on 

 June 3rd, 1922 :— 



" We are glad to learn from the report of 

 the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds 

 that there is a brisk revival of interest in the 

 Society's excellent scheme for bird and tree 

 competitions in elementary schools. This 

 interesting and successful experiment suffered, 

 like other good institutions, in the war, and 

 the war has given it an added importance. 

 For the war led to a destruction of birds of all 

 kinds, in the panic about crops, which brought 

 quick retribution in a great increase of insect 

 pests. It led also to a great destruction of 

 trees, and vast spaces were stripped of their 

 woods in the search for timber. After those 

 impoverishing years the task of conserving 

 our natural possessions becomes more ujgent 



than ever. It is only gradually and slowly 

 that we have learned their value. . . . 



" The best help of all that can be given 

 in the struggle to preserve the beauty and 

 charm that we are so apt to destroy wilfully 

 or carelessly is to be found in such schemes 

 as the Bird and Tree competition. We are 

 glad to learn from this report that the Lanca- 

 shire Education Authority and the county 

 director, Mr. Gater, give very active encourage- 

 ment to it. Mr. Gater spoke of its educational 

 value, and it must be clear to anybody that 

 no geography lesson from a text-book would 

 touch a child's imagination so vividly as a 

 simple account of the migrations and travels 

 of the bird he can see and hear in his village. 

 The most hopeful development of our time 

 has been the change that has come over the 

 name of naturalist. The word was often used 

 to describe a man who was interested in stuSed 

 birds ; the collector who gave the fullest play 

 to his most selfish instincts, and was chiefly 

 concerned to have in his possession something 

 that nobody else had. We now understand by 

 the term a man whose weapon is not the gun 

 but the camera, who does not want to have 

 a dead bird on his mantelpiece, but to watch 

 a live bird in the tree ; whose interest is not 

 in specimens, but in the free and beautiful 

 and happy life of a living creature. The bird 

 and tree competitions will breed a race of 

 such naturalists in every village, and their 

 study of the habits of birds will glow with 

 all the excitement and romance that were 

 once associated in boys' minds with the killing 

 of birds or the plunder of their nests." 



COMPETITION NOTICES 



The Essays for this year's Competition 

 are now in the hands of the Judges, and any 

 schools which have not yet sent in their papers 

 should do so as quickly as possible. The 

 results will be made known to all competing 

 schools as soon as the judging is completed, 

 but competitors are asked to remember that 

 it necessarily takes time to read and report 

 upon the large number of papers received. 



It is hoped to add in 1923 to the list of 

 counties in which Challenge Shields are offered ; 

 and the Secretary of the Society will be glad 

 to hear from Education Authorities and 

 teachers desiring to adopt the scheme or to 

 receive particulars and regulations. 



