278 SYLVIAD.E. 



It is not included by Mr. Rylands in liis Catalogue of the 

 Birds of Lancashire ; yet it has been heard on the north-west 

 side of England as high up as Carlisle, but no farther. 



On the eastern side, this bird is well known to frequent 

 Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, some of the more wooded parts of 

 Lincolnshire, and several parts of Yorkshire ; but not higher 

 than five miles north of the city of York, as I learn from my 

 friend and correspondent Mr. Thomas Allis. The Nightin- 

 gale has not, I believe, been heard in Scotland, or in the Scot- 

 tish islands ; which, considering that it does visit Denmark, is 

 also extraordinary. An attempt to establish the Nightingale 

 in Scotland is thus recorded in a note to an edition of 

 White''s Selborne, published in Edinburgh. " It has been 

 generally believed that the migratory songsters, both old and 

 young, return to their native haunts in the breeding season. 

 From this circumstance it is believed, that if any of these 

 could be bred beyond the ordinary limits of their incubation, 

 they would return in the following season to their birth-place. 

 Impressed with this belief. Sir John Sinclair, Bart., long 

 known for his patriotism, commissioned the late Mr. Dickson 

 of Covent Garden to purchase for him as many Nightin- 

 gale''s eggs as he could procure, at a shilling each. This was 

 accordingly done ; the eggs carefully packed in wool, and 

 transmitted to Sir John by the mail. Sir John employed 

 several men to find, and take care of, the nests of several 

 Robins, in places Mdiere the eggs might be deposited «nd 

 hatched with security. The Robins'* eggs were removed, and 

 replaced by those of the Nightingale, which were all sat upon, 

 hatched in due time, and the young brought up by the foster- 

 parents. The songsters flew when fully fledged, and were 

 observed for some time afterwards near the places where they 

 were incubated. In September, the usual migratory period, 

 they disappeared, and never returned to the place of their 

 birth." 



