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Bird Notes and News 



Bird and Tree Challenge Shield Competition 



The celebration of Bird and Tree Day, 

 with presentation of County Shields, 

 prizes and medals, and the sending in of 

 entry-forms for the 1923 Competition, 

 have been the chief events of the past three 

 months, most important of all being the 

 trip to London of the Head Teacher (Mr. 

 J. Edwin Cooper) and fom* members of 

 the Team of Leicester Road School, 

 Bedworth, Warwickshire, to receive the 

 Inter-County Shield from the hands of the 

 Duchess of Portland, at the Society's 

 Annual Meeting, Haversham (Bucks), 

 North Perrott (Somerset), Bedworth 

 (Warwickshire), and Cartmel Fell (Lan- 

 cashire) have received their respective 

 Shields. Ridge (Hants) divides its fes- 

 tivities, the tree-planting, with accom- 

 panying entertainment and tea, having 

 taken place in March, to be followed by 

 the presentation of Shield and prizes in 

 April. In April, also, Keswick (Cumber- 

 land) and Wellingborough (Northants) 

 will have their Festivals ; and in and 

 among these bigger occasions come the 

 no less interesting and pleasurable days 

 of other successful Schools. 



Entries show new Competitors in every 

 county, and there will be a struggle for 

 the first added Shield, depending on the 

 numbers of teams entering from Kent, 

 Oxfordshire, Derby, Suffolk, Gloucester- 

 shire, Surrey and Middlesex. Additional 

 entries may still be sent in, addressed to 

 the Secretary, R.S.P. Birds, 82, Victoria 

 Street, S.W.I. 



THE CUMBERLAND SHIELD 



The Director of Education for Cumber- 

 land (Mr. G. B. Brown) has sent a circular 

 letter to the Head Teachers of all Senior 

 Departments of Cumberland Schools, in 

 which he writes : — 



" At the last meeting of the School Manage- 

 ment Committee the Eeport on the Bird and 

 Tree County Challenge Shield Competition, 

 in which the work of several Schools in this 

 County area received appreciative criticism, 

 was presented. I am desired to express the 

 gratification of the Committee that such good 



work has been done and to congratulate, on their 

 behalf, those Schools which have gained, or have 

 seriously attempted, success in the County 

 and National Competition. 



" The Committee noted with much regret, 

 however, that there had been of late years a 

 persistent falling oft" in the numbers of com- 

 peting schools in their area, and that there 

 was some danger of the withdrawal of the 

 recognition of Cumberland as an independent 

 field.' 



"A competition oflhis kind does much to 

 foster habits of accurate observation and a love 

 of nature. It brings admirable influences to 

 bear on much of the out-of-School life of the 

 children and helps to give liveliness and indi- 

 viduality to the curriculum. The Koyal 

 Society for the Protection of Birds does its 

 part well. The Competition is widely spread 

 and is broad in its conception. The report on 

 the Competition is especially helpful since 

 criticism is constructive and individual. 



" I am to ask that the Head Teachers of the 

 County will in return give their support in 

 greater degree to this admirable movement." 



The Warwickshire County Shield was pre- 

 sented by Mr. Bolton King, Director of Educa- 

 tion for the county, in the presence of a large 

 gathering at a picture-palace in the town. In 

 his address Mr. King said he did not think there 

 was anything better for a school to-day than to 

 take up the study of natural history. Canon 

 Evans commented that it was a credit to the 

 whole town that the school had done so well ; 

 and Mr. Cooper, headmaster, added that they 

 had 202 children who had signed cards not to 

 destroy birds' eggs, and they were studying 

 52 difierent birds and 54 different trees. 



At the Boscombe Festival, the Director of 

 Education and members of the Bournemouth 

 Education Committee were present, and the 

 prizes were presented by Councillor Mrs. F. E. 

 Laney, J. P. Dr. F. G. Penrose, in an interesting 

 speech, remarked that opportunities for study- 

 ing wild life were getting fewer and fewer, a 

 matter of great concern and sorrow to many. 

 Land was being covered with houses, and the 

 big estates which were a great factor in the 

 protection of wild life were being sold. The 

 country from Poole Harbour to Christchurch 

 Harbour was an elysium if human beings did 

 not destroy its charms. A fairy play was per- 

 formed by the girls. 



