rSSy-SS.] An Oniitliological Visit to WarzvicksJiire. 147 



truth, although he made use of the tradition. In the present 

 day, even, many intelligent people suppose the nightingale to be 

 of large dimensions ; and when they dream of its far-famed 

 song, their imaginations depict a bird about the size of a crow, 

 warbling in the dark, whereas, as the accompanying specimen 

 proves, the species is very small. It is quite a mistake to 

 conclude that the nightingale sings only at night, as it may be 

 heard during the whole day, only then it is not nearly so 

 noticeable, being drowned to a certain extent by the general 

 chorus of other birds in the vicinity ; but at the darkening, 

 when most species, with a few exceptions, have retired to roost, 

 the song rings out clearly in the silence of the woods, and rivets 

 attention in a tenfold degree. Without expatiating on its merits, 

 in a word it may claim pre-eminence over all the other 

 warblers that visit Great Britain, and perhaps there is truth in 

 the statement that no other species excels it in these islands. 

 The reason for qualifying the latter assertion is, that many 

 people consider the thrush not to be far short of it in point 

 of merit. There cannot be hesitation for a moment in saying 

 that, taking its small size into account, the variety and depth of 

 melody emitted by the nightingale are perfectly marvellous ; 

 but again, the song of the thrush may be capable of giving as 

 much enjoyment to the listener, and it really amounts in the 

 long-run to a matter of taste. Let me ask you, can anything 

 be finer than the song of the mavis on a calm mild evening in 

 May, when the woods have just been refreshed by a shower of 

 gentle rain ? I think not. It may be prejudice, of course, 

 but, having heard both frequently, I am fain to confess that 

 to me the melody of the thrush is quite as pleasing ; and there 

 is no denying that many people whose knowledge of bird-life 

 is limited, on hearing a sweet song at the gloaming, have 

 given to the nightingale the credit of the music, which in 

 reality should have been attributed to the more familiar mavis. 

 It is a trite observation that the nightingale neither appears 

 in Scotland nor Ireland ; and even in England, its visits north 

 of the Trent are rare, and in many parts farther south its 

 distribution is extremely local. It seems also impossible to 

 domesticate it in the northern part of the island, as witness 

 the laudable attempts of the Earl of Buchan and Sir John 

 Sinclair, who procured eggs from England and placed them 



