Bird Notes and News 



127 



Team to be welcomed and congratulated on 

 a successful first appearance is East Coker ; 

 they have mingled matter personally acquired 

 with that gained from lessons with much 

 intelligence. Other newcomers are Lamyatt 

 (Bath), whose short papers contain nice 

 touches and interesting bits of local informa- 

 tion ; and Norton Fitz warren, whose cadets 

 having once made a good beginning, will 

 find themselves with much more to say 

 another year. Winsham's papers are all 

 based on open-air work and simply and 

 agreeably written ; the Chedington writers 

 do genuine work and show a real love for 

 their subjects, and Wembdon (with full and 

 conscientious note-taking) and Weston Zoy- 

 land mark satisfactory advance on last 

 year. 



WARWICKSHIRE. 



Champion School. — Mancetter. 



Challenge Shield. — Middleton C.E. 

 School. 



Warwickshire has given the Judges perhaps 

 more trouble than any other county in 

 weighing the respective merits of three or 

 four capital sets of papers. Mancetter, 

 standing apart as Champion School, Middle- 

 ton, Dosthill, and Bedworth (Leicester Road) 

 run very close indeed. Middleton, as usual, 

 sends extremely pleasing and interesting 

 essays, and deserves the more credit that its 

 list of Birds studied includes several un- 

 common species, two of the essays sent in 

 dealing most intelligently with Snipe and 

 Kingfisher. The papers on Trees give 

 specially good attention to the characteristic 

 features which distinguish the species. 

 Dosthill, holder of the Shield in 1914, 

 provides two Teams. The papers from both 

 are extremely painstaking and thorough, 

 the Bird studies admirable (delightful ones 

 on Flycatcher and Swallow), and an amazing 



amount of accurate detail of Trees. The 

 Bedworth essays are exactly the sort the 

 Society wish to receive, originality, quick 

 intelligence and sympathy shining through 

 all ; but they are a trifle thin compared with 

 those already referred to. Bedworth is 

 conspicuous for artistic illustrations ; so too 

 is Minworth, which sends the best Bird 

 picture from the county. The papers here 

 show good watching and good knowledge. 

 Stratford-on-Avon, advancing quickly to 

 the front, now comes very near it by reason 

 of the bright and well-considered note- 

 taking which forms the backbone of their 

 pleasant papers. Haselor, though weakened 

 by the loss of many of its original Team, 

 does very well indeed, and adds admirable 

 water-colour sketches ; and Temple Grafton, 

 competing for the first time, is yet another 

 school that distinguishes itself with the brush 

 and also by a very creditable amount of 

 watching ; while the Solihull Girls' pleasant 

 and thoughtful little essays are marked by 

 care and nice feeling. 



OPEN CLASS. 



First Prize. — Hlnton Waldrist (Berks). 



The Open Class is reduced in numbers 

 by the removal of the Lancashire schools, 

 and Hinton Waldrist, which last year shared 

 the honours with Newburgh, is now the 

 undoubted winner of the first prize. The 

 Team have notably novel and excellent 

 subjects — Nightingale and Whitethroat 

 among the Birds, and Judas-tree, Bird- 

 Cherry and Oriental Hawthorn among the 

 Trees. The observation is painstaking and 

 faithful, and the Judas-tree is a really capital 

 paper. The Totley (Derbyshire) Team, by 

 keeping their eyes open, have enlivened their 

 papers by a variety of interesting little 

 incidents ; and Bradway, in the same comity, 



