BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



91 



coffee were served in the Board Room ; and 

 at the close, after a few appropriate words 

 had been spoken b}^ Mr. Sharpe and Sir 

 John Cockburn, votes of thanks were passed 

 to the Trustees, to Mr. Fagan, and to the 

 guides. 



OBITUARY. 



The death of Colonel Arthur Collins, 

 C.B., M.V.O., which occurred on November 

 21st, deprives the Society ot a most earnest 

 and genial sympathiser and supporter. The 

 Times describes gardening and golf as the 

 hobbies associated with his charming cottage 

 at Hay ling Island, but no less keen a one was 

 the love and the study of bird- life. He was the 

 kindly guide and friend of the HayHng Bird- 

 and-Tree team, taking close personal interest 

 in their work ; and the stout opponent of 

 the sparrow-club which tried to rear its head 

 in the island. Colonel Collins, who was 

 formerly Comptroller to Princess Louise, 

 and subsequently Gentleman Usher to Queen 

 Victoria, King Edward, and King George, 

 had been a Fellow of the Society since 1904. 



Among other losses which have recently 

 befallen the Society must be named the 

 Earl of Onslow, Lady Grenfell, Miss M. C. 

 Crum, and Miss P. R. Hanbury. The last- 

 named bequeathed £20 to the Society. 



PUBLIC SCHOOL COMPETITION. 

 The Essays competing for the Society's 

 Silver and Bronze Medals came from a larger 

 number of PubUc Schools than last 3'ear, 

 and the alternative subject, " Birds observed 

 during a Hohday," proved very popular. 

 The Judges were the Right Rev. Bishop 

 Welldon (Dean of Manchester), the Rev. 

 J. G. Tuck (Rector of Tostock), and Mr. 

 Montagu Sharpe. They report that the 

 papers reach a high standard of merit, and 

 comment especially on the excellence of the 

 photographs. The awards are as follows : — 



Senior Division (over 16) : Silver Medal tind 

 Work on Natural History, Percy Worthington 

 (Harrow), " A Holiday with the Birds in Paris." 



Second Prize : C. J. Richards (Haileybury) " Bird 

 Notes in South Dorset." 



Certificates and Book Prizes : Eustace Tickell 

 (Bedford Grammar School) ; Norman Monk -Jones 

 (Dulwich); Quintin D. Bell (Bedford); H. G. 

 Galbraith (Charterhoitse) ; F. W. CurtLs (Bedford) ; 

 E. R. Wilson (Glenalmond) ; Cyril Cannon (Ton- 

 bridge) ; H. P. Bamkin (Dulwich). 



JtJNiOR Division : Bronze Medal and Work on 

 Natural HLstory, Geoffrey C. Bull (Bedford), " A 

 Holiday with the Birds " 



Second Prize ; C. H. Andrewes (Highgate), " With 

 the Birds in Nortii Wales." 



Certificates and Book Prizes : P. Compton (Ban- 

 croft's School) ; Douglas W. Bell (Bedford). 



An Exhibition of nesting-boxes, food-tables, 

 etc., was held at the Colman Institute, 

 Redhill, on October 21st, as an addendum 

 to an entertainment, organised by Mrs. F. E. 

 Lemon, which was given in the large hall 

 on behalf of the R.S.P.B. and the local 

 Children's Care Association. The boxes and 

 other appliances proved of great interest to 

 many people who had seen nothing of the 

 kind before, and such an exhibition, in 

 conjunction with entertainments and meet- 

 ings of many kinds, might well be arranged 

 by Hon. Local Secretaries and other friends 

 of the Birds. 



The offer by the R.S.P.B of a SHver Medal 

 and awards for Essays on the subject of the 

 " Protection of Crops without destroying 

 Birds," has been well responded to, a large 

 number of excellent and practical papers 

 having been sent in. It is hoped that the 

 result may be made known earlv in the 



new year. 



Ample testimony reached the Society cf 

 the useful work done in July by having the 

 placards of " The Story of the Egret " shov^ n 

 in London streets by sandwich-men ; and it 

 was felt that a further effort must be made 

 during the time of Christmas shopping. 

 Tlie men were accordingly re-engaged for a 

 fortnight, December 10th to 23rd, to parade 

 the West- end, and have again attracted 

 much attention. Donations are needed to 

 carry on the campaign. 



