GREATER NIGHTINGALE 45 



shining brown or black ; large black eyes. They were 

 evidently a pair, and where chasing each other about ; 

 they came quite close to me, and I had them in view 

 several minutes. Their note also was quite strange to me. 

 AVhat could they have been ? I have never seen anything 

 like them before. They were in a small coppice by the 

 side of the road between this and Sittingbourne." 



On this communication the Rev. M. A. Mathew 

 observes : "I enclose a note from my brother. The 

 strange warblers are, without any doubt, Daulias philo- 

 viela, the Northern Nightingale, of which, as yet, there 

 is no record in this country that I know of. My 

 brother's description of the birds tallies closely with 

 that given by Mr. Dresser in Birds of Europe.'' 



Since the above was written the following particulars 

 of the occurrence of this species in Kent was given by 

 Mr. M. J. Nicoll in the BuUetin of the B.O.C. (vol. xv., 

 p. 20, 1904-5) :— 



" A male of the ' Sprosser ' Nightingale (Daulias philo- 

 mela). This specimen, the first authentic British- killed 

 example of the species, was obtained at Smeeth, in Kent, 

 on October 22, 1904. It was forwarded for preservation 

 to Mr. Bristow, of St. Leonard's, who kindly brought 

 me the bird in the flesh for examination, and subse- 

 quently sent it to me for exhibition." 



NIGHTINGALE. 



Daulias luscinia (Linnseus). ^S'.IV., i., p. 328 

 (1766). 



The Nightingale is one of our most attractive summer 

 visitors, and all rejoice to hear its welcome voice in early 

 spring, joining in, as it does, with the revival of all 

 animated Nature. 



