284 rambles of a naturalist. 



Little Egret. 



This is the most beautiful bird I ever saw in a state of 

 nature, and I should say the handsomest on the British list. 

 Books would have us believe that it has been killed twenty- 

 times in this country, but this is not true. There are only 

 five of them, which, like Ceesar's wife, are above suspicion. 

 I would not give much for the specimen in the Wisbeach 

 Museum, though the inscription on it says that it was killed 

 at Sleaford, Anwick, (South Lincolnshire) in December, 

 185 I. Its history, as far as Mr. Cordeaux and I can learn, 

 is that it was given as a skin by the Rev. F. Latham* of 

 Helpringham. I think that the explanation may be that in 

 a general cleaning it has changed tickets with some other 

 bird, but there it stands. It is in winter plumage, and is 

 marked a male. 



Great-crested Grebe. 



It appears that this ornament of the waters is apt to be 

 aggressive at times. A friend was one day in his punt 

 among the mudflats and shoals of the Wash, and he chanced 

 to wound a Grebe. Without more ado the bird came right 

 at him, and would have attacked him he thinks if he had 

 not instantly struck it down with his paddle. 



I once read a parallel case in " Land and Water." I have 

 found up the paragraph, which is as follows : — 



" On February i8th, 1870, just at daybreak, a bird attacked a 

 man who was walking along a wood ; it gave several harsh screams 

 and rushed at his waistcoat. With difficulty he managed by kick- 

 ing it to kill it. He said he was very much frightened. He 



* Who informs Mr. C, in. litt., that he thinks he got it in Hamp- 

 shire. 



