8 BIRDS AND POETS. 
Our nightingale has mainly the reputation of the 
caged bird, and is famed mostly for its powers of 
mimicry, which are truly wonderful, enabling the 
bird to exactly reproduce and even improve upon 
the notes of almost any other songster. But ina 
state of freedom it has a song of its own which is 
infinitely rich and various. It is a garrulous poly- 
glot when it chooses to be, and there is a dash of 
the clown and the buffoon in its nature which too 
often flavors its whole performance, especially in 
captivity; but in its native haunts, and when its 
love-passion is upon it, the serious and even grand 
side of its character comes out. In Alabama and 
Florida its song may be heard all through the sul- 
try summer night, at times low and plaintive, then 
full and strong. A friend of Thoreau and a care- 
ful observer, who has resided in Florida, tells me 
that this bird is a much more marvelous singer than 
it has the credit of being. He describes a habit it 
has of singing on the wing on moonlight nights, 
that would be worth going South to hear. Start- 
ing from a low bush, it mounts in the air and con- 
tinues its flight apparently to an altitude of several 
hundred feet, remaining on the wing a number of 
minutes, and pouring out its song with the utmost 
clearness and abandon, —a slowly rising musical — 
rocket that fills the night air with harmonious , 
sounds. Here are both the lark and nightingale in — 
one; and if poets were as plentiful down South as 
they are in New England, we should have heard of 
this song long ago, and had it celebrated in appro- 
