41 



all mixed up well. This food, of course must be made 

 fresh every morning, otherwise it would spoil. It is, con- 

 sequently, well to find out the proper quantity they are 

 able to consume in a day, as more than that will go to 

 waste ; for what is left in the morning must be thrown 

 away. 



It is not absolutely necessary to mix the above 

 mentioned artikles at all times ; some of them, ex- 

 cept the ants' eggs, may be left off occasionally — for 

 instance, in the summer, the eggs and meat, which 

 are very apt to get spoiled at that time. I have seen 

 Nightingales thrive well on ants' eggs and carrot only. 

 Some fanciers will mix wheat bran, moistened with 

 milk ; others bruised hemp-seed ; also currants or elder- 

 berries : all these, if the bird will eat them, will not 

 injure it. 



In Belgium and France, the Nightingale are com- 

 monly fed as follows : one pound of yellow pea-meal, 

 half pound of honey, half pint of sweet almonds (pounded 

 fine), and half once of sweet butter, or in larger or 

 smaller preparation, mashed well together, and made 

 into cakes, formed similar to a sausage an inch thick, 

 and four inches long — these, after they are well dried, 

 will keep good for many months. Before fed, they are 

 grated, and mixed with an equal part 'of ants' eggs. 

 Fanciers there assure me that the bird thrives very well 

 on this food. This shows that Nightingales are not 

 such delicate birds as they are often thought in this 

 country. Whatever they are fed on, from three to 



