BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



11 



field) strongly impressed the lesson of kindness 

 to birds and animals. The trees planted 

 consisted of three climbing roses for the front 

 of the school, and a stock of bush-fruit trees 

 for an experimental fruit plot in the school 



garden. At Dyche School, Bridgewater, a 

 lantern lecture was given by Miss Agnes Fry. 

 [It is impossible to give a record of all the 

 Festivals : a few only have been selected to 

 represent each county.] 



^sr ucr The Young Naturalist, ucr ucr 



These extracts from Bird and Tree Essays, and 

 others to be published from time to time, are selected 

 not necessarily as showing the best work, but as 

 characteristic of children's observations. 



On the 1st of April a pair of Robins began to 

 build a nest in my watering-can hanging against 

 the wall of ray home. I watched them every day 

 carrying dry leaves, moss, dry grass, etc., to build 

 it with. After they had finished with it I took the 

 nest out of the can and found the hollow where 

 the eggs had been was right at the back of the can, 

 but the front was filled with dead leaves, so that 

 there was quite a platform for the bird to run along. 

 Both birds were very tame, and came down every 

 meal-time to be fed. One day one came into the 

 kitchen and pecked crumbs from the floor 

 under the table. Another day one of the pair flew 

 after me right up to the school gates, a distance of 

 over 200 yards. 



Norah Wavell (Sandown Girls). 



On March 25th I noticed a nest partly built, 

 about 7 feet from the ground, in a purple-lilac bush. 

 I watched to see what bird was building the nest, and 

 I saw a pair of Goldfinches very busy at it. Mother 

 had some early flowers tied to some stakes with 

 wool, and the pretty little birds kept pecking at 

 this to get the soft fibre to help in making the nest. 

 When finished it was a very compact and elegant 

 nest, the outside composed of fine moss and grass 

 and lined with the wool and pieces of hair. 



Annie Mouland (Ridge, Hants). 



The Wren builds its pretty nest among ivy in 

 the hedge, on an ivied stump, or even among the 

 ivy on the sides of trees. Sometimes the nest is 

 made in very curious places. I have seen and 

 sketched one built in an old fishing-net that was not 

 in use. The little birds worked one of the meshes 

 into a rough circular hole, and carried the materials 

 inside. The net was hung on a beam in a cart-shed. 



William Grant (Havant). 



I have often seen the Wrens in a rose tree pecking 

 away at the leaves, and when I went to look, to 

 see what they were doing, I noticed that they were 

 eating the green fly which does so much harm in 

 the garden ; and they also kill little slugs, snails, 

 maggots, and grubs of all sorts. I have noticed 

 that when it is searching for food it hunts in holes 

 and crannies of all kinds. 



Samuel Cook (Glutton). 



The Beech leaves appear in the middle of spring ; 

 then they unfold from a kind of shell ; this shell 

 consists of hard scales, and it protects the young 

 leaves from snow and rain. When they are first 

 visible they are covered with tender hairs, and these 

 give them a soft-looking appearance. They are 

 a very pale and pretty green when they first appear, 

 but they develop a darker green as time goes on. 

 In the autumn, when the leaves change colour, they 

 turn to yellow and orange, and when the sun shines 

 on the tree it seems a blazing mass of golden light. 

 Edith Whitehead (Wraxall). 



If you see the Spotted Flycatcher on a wall or a 

 branch and go quietly, you can get very close to it and 

 watch it. It never seems to be taking any notice of 

 anything, and all of a sudden it will dash after an 

 insect, catch it, and return to the same perching- 

 place, and after a few minutes' stillness it will 

 fly away rapidly in jerky loops and perch on the top 

 of a wall perhaps, and watch for insects, and catch 

 them while on the wing. It goes through some pretty 

 tricks of flight as it pecks at one insect and misses 

 it. It will fly right — left — up — down, as fast as it 

 possibly can, with outstretched rapidly-beating 

 wings, and when it has seized the fly or moth, perch 

 on the branch of a tree, and in a few seconds it 

 darts off again after another insect. It then stands 

 and turns its head nearly right round, watching, 

 and all of a sudden flies off after food, required, 

 perhaps, to feed its young. 



Fred Gaylor (Exford). 



