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Bird Notes and News 



HAMPSHIRE. 



Challenge Shield. — St. Peter's Girls' 

 School, Bournemouth. 



It is always a pleasure to read the essays 

 from St. Peter's Girls, Bournemouth, who 

 have for several years come only just short 

 of the winning-post. This year they un- 

 questionably and deservedly win the Shield. 

 Intimate and whole-hearted study, accuracy 

 in facts, graceful composition, and kindliness 

 of feeling are characteristic of all the papers, 

 while the drawings give proof of no little 

 artistic skill. The subjects, too, are happily 

 selected — Goldcrest, Crossbill, and Skylark, 

 Elder, White Poplar, and Bird-Cherry ; one 

 paper, not sent, was written on the rare and 

 shy Dartford Warbler. There is an ex- 

 ceedingly close contest for second place ; 

 after much consideration it is allotted to 

 Botiey, whose pleasing essays are written 

 as if the children loved their birds and trees, 

 and took delight in finding out all they could 

 about them. Ridge, after enjoying the 

 dignity of Championship, comes again into 

 the arena, and gives every proof that the 

 School has not become slack through success ; 

 it stands third, with essays excellent in 

 material and animated in style. Kingfisher 

 and Meadow Pipit present an interesting 

 variety from the ordinary species to set 

 against the Green Woodpecker and Long- 

 tailed Tit which have inspired two excellent 

 papers at Botiey. A bird new to the com- 

 petition, the Mute Swan, appears in the essays 

 from both Christchurch (R.C.) and Filgrave. 

 In both cases this bird evidently appealed 

 strongly to the competitor, and its habits 

 are described with considerable vivacity. 

 References to local scenes — the marshes, 

 the river estuary, and the flat coast — give 

 picturesqueness to the interesting papers 

 from Christchurch ; and a similar feature 



lends distinction to those from the Foundry 

 Lane Boys' School, Southampton, which has 

 a first-rate selection of birds and sends 

 admirable and original impressions of King- 

 fisher, Lapwing, and Moorhen. Two Teams 

 represent the Western Boys' School, South- 

 ampton, the seniors writing thoroughly 

 capable and painstaking papers, a little too 

 elaborate in composition, but long and very 

 full of matter ; the juniors sincere and 

 accurate, and both sets with very good 

 drawings. Privett has a young Team, 

 having lost seven original members ; their 

 work is bright and personal, and a capital 

 account of the Araucaria or " monkey- 

 puzzle " tree introduces a new species to the 

 Competition. Interested in the work and 

 animated in the setting forth of their ex- 

 periences and discoveries, the Barton Stacey 

 Team is steadily advancing to the front. 

 Brighstone, I.W., with water-colour drawings 

 of unusual merit, and personal observation ; 

 Headley (the Holme School), whose essays 

 charm by their freshness and admirable 

 spirit ; Hinton Ampner, intelligent and 

 appreciative, with welcome allusions to bird- 

 notes ; Hayling, boyish and straightforward, 

 but thin in point of observation ; Binsted, 

 and Wickham all gain commendation. 



LANCASHIRE. 



Challenge Shield — Newburgh C.E. 

 School. 



Proxime accessit — Lane End School, 

 Atherton. 



This is the first year of the Lancashire 

 Shield, and very excellent and encouraging 

 is the work sent in, from districts far apart 

 and of widely different character ; while 

 the award of the trophy was made exceed- 

 ingly difficult by the exceptional character 

 of two sets of essays. The papers from 

 Atherton and Newburgh are alike full of 



