Bird Notes and News 



31 



Bird-and-Tree Challenge Shield Competition. 



Considering the difficulties of the times, the 

 absence of Teachers in the army, and the with- 

 drawal of many of the older boys and girls 

 from school to help on the land, the Competi- 

 tion has kept up throughout the years of war 

 with remarkable steadiness. Many teachers 

 seem to have redoubled their efforts, and 

 the younger children have represented their 

 schools with anxious pride in order to " keep 

 the flag flying." Nevertheless Teams have 

 dropped out, and new ones have not come 

 forward in numbers sufficient to recompense 

 the loss fully in most counties. Next year 

 the Society will hope, not merely a resump- 

 tion of pre-war conditions, but for a rapid 

 extension of the work all ever the coimtry. 

 The extreme importance and value of a 

 knowledge of bird -life and of trees, from the 

 practical economic standpoint, has been 

 conspicuously apparent in these years of 

 stress, apart from the educative and stimu- 

 lating effects of open-air Nature Study 

 conducted on such lines as those laid down 

 by the Society. 



The Judges of the essays this year were : 

 Mr. Montagu Sharpe (Chairman of Council), 

 Miss Clifton, Mrs. Frederick Dawson, ]\Irs. 

 Fuller-Maitland, Mr. G. A. Freeman, B.Sc, 

 Mr. W. H. Hudson, Mr. Hastings Lees, 

 Rev. W. A. Shaw, Rev. J. G. Tuck, and 

 Miss Gardiner (Secretary). 



INTER-COUNTY SHIELD. 



The Inter-County Shield, the " blue 

 ribbon " of the whole Competition, goes to 

 Barton Stacey School, Hampshire, whose 

 papers are charmingly written and full of 

 admirable first-hand observation. Leicester 

 Road School, Bed worth (AVarwick) is an 

 excellent second with fine, open-air, enthusi- 

 astic work, strong on the practical side and 

 notably excellent in Tree studies. Necton 

 (Norfolk) stands third. 



COUNTY SHIELDS. 



Buckinghamshire. — Challenge Shield : Elles- 

 Ijorough C. School. The essays from Bucks are, as 

 usual, very fresh and pleasant in style, and the 

 wonder is that more competition is not forthcoming 



from a county so well placed for the study, and 

 with, it must be supposed, many more schools 

 qualified to take part than do so at present. The 

 winning Team's attractive and excellent papers are 

 closely contested by thoughtful and inteUigent ones 

 from Princes Risborough ; and Pitstone and 

 Haversham gain high commendation. 



Cumberland. — Challenge Shield : Cargo. The 

 result here is something of a surprise. Four schools 

 run each other pretty closely, but the winning Team 

 write without notes and show real outdoor study. 

 Buttermere would have been an easy first if drawings 

 decided the question, and St. John's School, Kes- 

 wick, if handwriting and composition and general 

 information stood first ; both these schools gain 

 Certificates, and Nether Denton the h.c. 



Hampshire. — Challenge Shield : Barton Stacey. 

 With three years' sustained premiership in the county 

 and the winnmg of the Inter-County Shield, Barton 

 Stacey has to retire from the comity lists next year 

 as a " Champion " Team, eligible only for the inter- 

 contest. Ridge is second and very near the 

 winners ; the third place being shared by the 

 admirably written and illustrated papers from the 

 Holme School, Headley, and those from the R.C. 

 School, Christchurch, both showing an appreciation 

 of beauty unusual in children. Brighstone, I.W., 

 also takes a Certificate and is strong in drawings ; 

 and Schools highly commended include Hale, 

 Hinton Ampner, Brooke Hulverstone (I.W.), and 

 Wickham. 



Lancashire. — Challenge Shield : Cartmel Fell. 

 Lancashire keeps up its number of competing 

 Teams and its standard of work with conspicuous 

 success. No School stands pre-eminently at the 

 top, but the all-round excellence, the keen outdoor 

 observation, and the disuse of notes at the essay 

 writing are extremely satisfactory characteristics. 

 The winning Team is young, and writes in a manner 

 no less graphic for its impretending simplicity ; and 

 St. Stephen's, Preston, taking Second Prize, show 

 what can be done by a town school that has the 

 will to succeed. Atherton C.E. and Witlmell L^.M. 

 are represented by the first-rate work expected of 

 them. Certificates go also to Bamber Bridge 

 Wesleyan, Brathay District C.E., Barton Newsham 

 R.C, Brow Edge Council C, Buckhiust, Fins- 

 thwaite, and High Wray ; while some half -score 

 others are h.c, including several new competitors. 



Norfolk. — Challenge Shield : Necton. Norfolk 

 is well to the fore this year, and the great amoimt 

 of first-liand study to which the essays bear witness 

 is again an admirable featiu-e of almost all the work. 

 The failings previously noted, of devoting excessive 

 attention to nests and eggs, and to the dissection 

 of buds, are rapidly disappearing, especially the 

 former ; and some of the best essays were written 

 without notes. The Shield-winning papers exhibit 

 a delightful enthusiasm and individuality. Post- 

 wick and Tittleshall are Second and Thinl with 

 capital work. Certificates are won by Beechamwell, 



