A BELGIAN BOY'S BIRD ESSAY.
[TO THE EDITOR. OF THE " SPECTATOR:1
Sax,--i Nile British soldiers have been writing home of birds seen from the trenches in Flanders, Belgian children have been learning something of birds in English schools. Several of these little refugees have even found places in " Bird and Tree " Teams working in connexion with the Challenge Shield Competitions organized by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Your readers may perhaps be interested to hear a part of one of these compositions. A Belgian boy of twelve, in a Northamp- .tonshire village school, writing an essay on the chaffinch, is evidently struck with surprise that a people who offer asylum to homeless Belgians should destroy the homes of birds :—
" I went for a walk," he writes, " and saw at once a chaffinch coming out of the hedge, and I thought perhaps there would be a nest. The nest was built very nice and neat. I also saw that it contained two eggs. I went to look again next day and to my great surprise the little but wonderful and lovely nest was gone. There was only a bit of moss left. So I went home very disappointed. The chaf- finches are plentiful everywhere. The chaffinches usually live in flicks, except during the nesting season. The chaffinch builds a beautiful neat and compact nest. They usually lay four eggs. . . . I also know a nest on a post. It is very nice and protected by the rose trees from rain. That chaffinch brought the hen with him in that house. On 12-7-15 I were climbing on a lime tree, there I saw something lying on branch. At first I thought that it were a bit - of straw, but if I came nearer I covered that it was a chaffinches nest. Then 1 went down very pleased that I had found nest.. . On 16-745 I saw a young chaffinch in the wet weather. It could not fly so I picked it up and examined it. It had a brown breast, the wings . were black and white. The beak was very soft. It had a seed in its beak. When I opened its beak I saw that it was all purple inside. Then I put it under the tree again so it could not get wet. On 15-7-15 I heard that them chaffinches have now young ones and they bring two in that house."
—I am, Sir, &c., L. GARDINER, Secretary, Royal Sodety for tile Protection of Birds.
23 Queen. Anne's Gate, S. W.
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