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NATURE NOTES. 
A G-OOd Example. — Last Thursday, July 7th, I saw a sight which gladdened 
my eyes as a lover of nature. I was staying with my sister in Northamptonshire, 
near the home of all the earlier part of my life. She took me for a drive through 
Fawsley Park, the seat of Sir Rainald Knightley, which used to be such a delight 
to us to visit when we were children ; and after watching the deer in the park, and 
having a look at the house to see the alterations that had been made since I 
recollected it, I lingered on the banks of the large and beautiful ponds, which 
were always a shelter for so many wild-fowl. While I was looking at the pond in 
front of the house, I saw on the water, very close to me, a large bird, which, as I 
first caught sight of the back of its head, seemed to me from its colour and 
crest to be like a bittern, but with a longer and thinner neck. While I was 
looking at it it dived, but after a few seconds it reappeared again, and I got 
a full side view of it, and then I could see plainly that it was a lovely specimen of 
the groat crested grebe. My sister also saw it plainly, and at once agreed with 
me that that was what it was. It was evident from the season of the year that it 
must have been breeding there. I mentioned the circumstance the ne.\t day to a 
cleigyman, a friend of mine, in the neighbourhood, and he said that he had heard 
that these birds do breed in that place occasionally, and that Sir Rainald does 
not allow any wild fowl or wild birds to be shot or interfered with in any way on 
any of his ponds throughout the year, either in summer or winter. And here I had 
the opportunity of seeing the good result of this protection. If landowners 
generally would follow the good example how much our British fauna might be in- 
creased, and what an additional interest would be given to many a lovely spot 
throughout our land ! I had seen Sir Rainald a few days before, but I did not see him 
again before leaving that part of the country, or I should certainly have told him 
of the delight which such a sight had given me, and I thought that this little 
narrative of the occurrence would be interesting to the readers of Nature 
Note.s. The only other time that I have seen the large crested grebe during the 
breeding season was towards the end of June, the year before last, as I was 
visiting the Norfolk Broads with my brother, when we got a good view of one on 
Wroxam Broad. 
Modbury Vicarage, S. Devon. G. C. Green. 
A Flower Brigade. — The Editor of the column “For Lassies and Laddies" 
in Hearth and Home is enlisting the sympathies of her young readers on behalf 
of their less fortunate fellow-creatures. She has formed a “Flower Brigade,” 
the object of which is to supply fresh flowers to hospitals and other institutions 
and also to make little books of dried specimens for distribution among the 
patients. The latter task will be somewhat difficult, as dried plants soon become 
brown and chippy : ferns, so far as colour goes, are best for the purpose. Fuller 
details as to method of work will be found in Hearth and Home for July 21st ; or 
may be obtained from the office, 6, Fetter Lane, E.C. 
NATURAL HISTORY NOTES AND QUERIES. 
A Puss Moth Caterpillar [^Centra Vinuld). — I reared one of these 
caterpillars from the egg last summer. The egg was found on a willow tree at 
Hammersmith, and the caterpillar came out on June 17th, and was then quite 
black. On the 19th a small red speck appeared at the ends of the filaments in the 
tail. On the 21st the caterpillar changed its skin, and yellow marks appeared on 
the body. The yellow marks gradually became brighter, and on the 25th the 
caterpillar again changed its skin. The yellow marks were now much larger, and 
the head was squarer. On the 25th the yellow marks changed to green, and on 
the 28th the caterpillar changed its skin again. This time I saw it crawl out of 
its skin. The top of the head and the filaments of the tail were quite a light 
colour, but in an hour they were a dark plum colour. On the 2nd of July the 
caterpillar left off eating, and for two days it seemed very ill, but on the morning 
of the 5th I found it had changed its skin for the fourth time, and w.as eating 
ravenously. There was now a pink line round the “face ; ” the green marks were 
