58 Thk Nightingale. 



Such is ni}- experience of this bird as seen in the Kentish woods; but Henr}' 

 Stevenson, speaking of it in Norfolk says: — "Though frequenting the thick cover 

 of our groves and shrubberies, the Nightingale is by no means a shy bird, at 

 least on its first arrival, but sings fearlessly throughout the day in the most 

 exposed situations. In ni}- own garden, bordered on two sides by public roads, I 

 have known one sing at intervals throughout the day, on the 3'et leafless branches 

 of an almond tree, perfectlv indifferent to the voices and footsteps of the passers 

 bv ; and on the ist Mav, 1864, a most exquisite songster stationed himself on a 

 small tree, in Mount Plea.sant lane, close to the footpath, where groups of vSunday 

 walkers, both morning and afternoon, stopped to listen to its 'sweet descants,' and 

 probabl}- for the first time in their lives saw, as well as heard, a Nightingale." 



This last sentence chimes in exactly with ni}^ belief. It is not often easy to 

 discover the author of sweet Philomel's discourses ; one needs to look long and 

 carefully ; and perchance, at length, one finds that the singer which one has been 

 seeking for in the undergrowth, is perched among the smaller branches of some 

 lofty elm ; not that it alwa^'s seeks so high a seat ; for, many a time, on a hot 

 spring morning I have seen it in full song in a plantation of birch trees grown 

 for hop-poles, and among the briars and rank vegetation at their roots I have 

 often sought and sometimes found its nest. 



The song of the Nightingale surpasses in melody and charm that of an}^ 

 other bird ; it commences tisually with a long-drawn plaintive phivce, pinvee, phivce, 

 phwee, repeated from four to six times in succession, and followed bj' a rapid 

 water-bubble cliooka, diooka^ cliooka, chooka, chooka, c/iookir, and then perhaps a 

 series of clear notes commencing toocy, too, too, too, tooti, more and more rapidl}- 

 uttered and increasing in power ; sometimes the song commences with this 

 tooey, 3'et more often with the complaining note ; but, without the bird singing 

 at one's side, it is impossible to remember, much less to do justice to, this 

 brilliant musician ; once heard, it can never be mistaken for an3-thing else ; 

 the Blackcap sometimes strives to cop3- the melod3', and does it fairl3f well ; 

 but he sings too loud, without the softness of sweet Philomel. On one 

 occasion when out with Mr. Frohawk at twilight, on the skirt of a Kentish 

 wood, we heard a Song-Thrush and a Blackbird tr3'ing to outdo a Nightingale: 

 it was all in vain, all three birds were perfect masters of their art ; the 

 Thrush, b3' introducing part of the .song of the Nightingale, much improved 

 his own natural performance ; but the Blackbird .scorned to cop3', he swung out 

 his full flowing phrases in grand st3-le, and when he knew himself beaten, 

 in a royal rage he charged the tree in which the little russet songster sat, 

 and drove it from its retreat ; but the Nightingale, nothing daunted, perched 



