Bird Notes and News 



63 



are iDarticularly good this year and the two 

 winning ones would have rejoiced the late 

 Captain Tailby, who instituted these awards. 

 By a coincidence they come from the two 

 schools first in the general competition ; 

 they are both by girls, and both admirable 

 pieces of work, almost entirely from personal 

 observation. The first prize goes to Margaret 

 Barton's spirited and thoughtful account of 

 the Barn Owl, and the second to a lively and 

 interesting paper on the Brown Owl by Joyce 

 Nelson (Necton). Third ]ilace is taken by 

 George Stacey (Hinton Waldrist). 



The judges in the whole competition were : 

 Mr. Montagu Sharpe, Miss Clifton, Mrs. 

 Frederick Dawson, Mr. G. A. Freeman, Mr. 

 W. H. Hudson, Mr. J. R. B. Masefield, Rev. 

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

 (Secretary). 



COUNTY CHALLENGE SHIELDS. 



LANCASHIRE. 



Each of the several counties competing for County 

 Shields has a more or less distinctive character 

 apparent in the great majority of its papers. Lanca- 

 shire, in addition to winning the " super-Shield "' is 

 perhaps the most satisfactory of counties this year. 

 The number of competing teams keeps up well and 

 they represent schools of varying sizes and localities, 

 in large towns as well as country villages. The work 

 done is keen and enthusiastic, showing a great deal 

 of sound original observation, and in many cases the 

 essays have been written without the aid of note books. 

 The selection of birds is also particularly varied, 

 including a good number of species outside the custom- 

 ary common birds, such as Sandpiper, Curlew, Dipper, 

 Garden and Sedge Warblers, Sparrowhawk, Grey 

 and Yellow Wagtails, Goldcrest, and Treecreeper. 

 It is noteworthy that one boy studied the Sparrowhawk 

 through watching it over the docks at Preston. 



NORFOLK. 



In Norfolk, again, the ability to write first-rate 

 essays without notes is a capital feature ; and there 

 are many admirable sets of jmpers besides tlioso, 

 beautifully written and illustrated, which deservedly 

 win the Shield for Necton. A curious example of the 

 confusion of bird names which adds to the difliculties of 

 legislation is the evidently common use in the county 

 of the name '" tom-tit " for the Wren. 



BUCKS— CUMBERLAND. 



In Bucks a small school, Pitstone, comes very 

 near to carrying off the trophy, which goes again to 

 intelligent and excellent papers from Ellesborougli. 

 In this countj' and in Cumberland the whole of tiie 

 work is conspicuously fresh, spontaneous, and 

 attractive ; the pleasure evidenced in the study 

 increasing surprise in the smallness of competition. 

 Cumberland has some additional entries, as well as 

 steady advance among older competitors, and the 

 Shield is thoroughly mci'ited by St. John's Girls' 

 School, Keswick, 



HANTS— SOMERSET. 



Limited contest is apt to produce inferior work for 

 want of strong and sufficient emulation to rouse the 

 young people into doing their very best. In Hamp- 

 shire, however, where the falling-off in numbers is as 

 disappointing as it is unaccountable, the papers are 

 as excellent as ever. The Shield is well won by 

 admirable and observant essays from the Holme 

 School, Headley (where the bird papers include 

 Nightjar and Red- backed Shrike), and a formidable 

 new competitor, the Boscombe Girls' School, takes 

 Second Prize, A fluent and pretty style of writing 

 characterises many of the papers from Hants and 

 Somerset, as thougii the southern air favoured ease of 

 composition. All the Somerset essays have a natural 

 childish grace, and indicate nice feeling, but lack 

 thoroughness and intimate a tendency to be too 

 readily satisfied. Winsham and Chillington lead the 

 way, and among birds studied are Green and Spotted 

 Woodpeckers, Kingfisher, and Willow-Warbler. 



NORTHANTS. 



Northants and Warwickshire, the former especially, 

 reveal less of general character in the work than do 

 most counties. In Northants there is steady industry 

 and a genuinely pamstaking spirit, combined with 

 entire absence of pretence, which promises well for 

 advance and has already effected a noteworthy improve- 

 ment since the competition was started. The numbers 

 are well maintained, Middleton, Cheney, an old and 

 vigorous competitoi', wins the Shield with sound 

 work, 



WARWICK, 



In Warwick the contest is a close one. Great Alne, 

 Bedworth, Dosthill, Mancetter, and Ansley all sending 

 in good papers, and each of these schools possessing 

 individual character and points of superiority over the 

 rest ; the first -named wins bj^ well-thought-out and 

 careful essays. 



OPEN CLASS, 



The Open Class has never been stronger, and it 

 can but be regretted that some of the cai)ital papers 

 had not the chance of winning a County Shield, Not a 

 single team among them lias been content with book 

 or trivial work, and the amount of zealous study is 

 pleasant to meet with. The keen and original 

 observation of the Totley boys gains first place, but 

 there are charming essays from Berks, Suffolk, Sussex, 

 and other counties, and also from Ireland, 



In some cases remarkably good drawings, both 

 outline and brushwork, are added. Special mention 

 must be made of the highly artistic work from Bed- 

 worth, the Boscombe Girls', Necton, Beechamweli, 

 Headley, Ansley and Great Alne. 



The favourite birds of the year are the Thrusli, 

 Blue Tit, Moorhen, and Chaffinch ; the favourite 

 trees Horse-Chestnut and Sycamore, There are 

 about 30 essays on the Thrush to one on even such 

 ordinary species as Yellowhammer or Whitethroat ; 

 and few of tliem are good. 



The following are the principal awards. Fuller 

 reports have been sent to all schools that entered. 



