BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



school awards, and the cliildrcn gave a 

 cantata and songs in excellent style. 



Cumberland. — Though the celebration 

 took place in tlie mid=^t of the Election 

 turmoil, a number of Bird and Tree friends 

 assembled to do honour to Kirkosicald 

 School, on January 14th. Before the indoor 

 proceedings, holly and ivy, apple and pear 

 trees were planted in the school grounds by 

 Mrs. F. W. Chance and Miss Chance, INIrs. 

 Featherstonehaugh, and Mr. Heywood 

 Thompson (late High Slieriff). The Rev. R. 

 Duncan presided over the meeting. The 

 Shield and prizes were presented by Mrs. 

 Chance, who gave a sympathetic and stimu- 

 lating address, observing that she never could 

 understand how anyone could be so cruel 

 as to rob a bird's nest or keep a wild bird 

 in captivity. Mr. C. Courtenay Hodgson, 

 Secretary for Education for the County, also 

 spoke, and a vote of thanks ^vas accorded 

 the Master, Mr. Brad\\ell. 



At St. John's Girls' School, Keswick, the 

 tree-planting was performed byMrs.Headlam, 

 who, Avith the help of some of the girls, 

 planted a beech-tree in Fitz Park. At the 

 subsequent meeting the Rev. L. M. Headlam, 

 Vicar, presided and read the Report. The 

 prizes were given by ^Ii's. IVIitchell-Dawson, 

 and addresses from Mr. F. E. Marshall and 

 Mr. John Postlethwaite, F.G.S., afforded 

 practical advice to the team as well as 

 congratulations to Miss Hayes. 



Norfolk. — The second annual distribution 

 of awards, in connection with the Bird and 

 Tree scheme in Norfolk, took place at the 

 Assembly Rooms, Norwich, on December 

 20th, and at St. James's Hall, King's Lynn, 

 on December 21st. On each occasion Mr. 

 Kearton gave his cinematograph lecture, 

 "The Fairyland of Nature." Mr. F. H. 

 Millington, chairman of the Education 

 Committee, presided over the Norwich 

 gathering, and the Shield (won by Sproicston 

 Council School), prizes, and medals were 

 presented by Mrs. E. H. Evans-Lombe. 

 At King's Lynn the chairman was Sir 

 William ffolkes, chairman of the County 

 Council, and the presentation ceremony was 

 undertaken by Lady ffolkes. The principal 



speaker Mas Mr. H. Rider Haggard, who 

 remarked that in man's early days, when 

 tigers, bears, and weird reptiles were met 

 with, observation of Nature must have been 

 an active, exciting and serious art. Now 

 we lived in cities and forgot all about Nature, 

 so much so that he had heard a lady express 

 surprise on being told that wheat was the 

 raw material of flour. This flocking to the 

 cities was a sad and dangerous thing. During 

 the Boer war many bad accidents happened 

 to our troops, simply because our men were 

 town-bred and could not match the Boer on 

 his veldt. If we were to continue to build 

 up our nation we must teach townspeople 

 something of the charm of Nature, and we 

 must also teach those who lived in the 

 country and who were often obUvious of 

 those charms. Such schemes as the Bird 

 and Tree competition gave to children the 

 uncommon gift of observation, and taught 

 them to admire, to wonder at, and to love 

 that beautiful creation which was at once the 

 handiwork and the visible garment of God. 

 At King's Lynn the principal speaker was 

 the Rev. E. T. Daubeny. 



Hampshire. — December 18th was Bird 

 and Tree Day at the Sholing Girls' Council 

 School. Birch, Rowan and Sycamore trees 

 were planted in the playground by essayists 

 who had written on those trees. A tea was 

 given to sixty of the girls, to which their 

 mothers and also the local committee were 

 invited ; and in the evening Mr. Dowty, 

 Chairman of the Committee, presided over a 

 crowded gathering in the large school hall. 

 Mr P. E. Hayward formally handed over 

 the Shield to the keeping of the head mis- 

 tress, Mrs. Kellaway, and the prizes and 

 medals to the team. The second part of the 

 programme consisted of an effective per- 

 formance of JVIrs. Suckling's play, " The New 

 Law Courts," and of morris dances. 



The Sandown Boys' School, winners of 

 the Third Prize, and the Sandown Girls, win- 

 ners of a Certificate, had a joint celebration 

 on March 18th. A capital programme of 

 songs and readings was followed by the 

 presentation of prizes and medals by the 

 Rev. W. T. Storrs, B.D., who presided, and 



